handouts/notation.tex
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     7 \begin{document}
     7 \begin{document}
     8 
     8 
     9 \section*{A Crash-Course on Notation}
     9 \section*{A Crash-Course on Notation}
    10 
    10 
    11 There are innumerable books available about automata and
    11 There are innumerable books available about compiler, automata
    12 formal languages. Unfortunately, they often use their own
    12 and formal languages. Unfortunately, they often use their own
    13 notational conventions and their own symbols. This handout is
    13 notational conventions and their own symbols. This handout is
    14 meant to clarify some of the notation I will use.
    14 meant to clarify some of the notation I will use.
    15 
    15 
    16 \subsubsection*{Characters and Strings}
    16 \subsubsection*{Characters and Strings}
    17 
    17 
   188 \]
   188 \]
   189 
   189 
   190 \noindent but using the big union notation is more concise.
   190 \noindent but using the big union notation is more concise.
   191 
   191 
   192 An important notion in this module are \defn{languages}, which
   192 An important notion in this module are \defn{languages}, which
   193 are sets of strings. The main goal for us will be how to
   193 are sets of strings. One of the main goals for us will be how to
   194 (formally) specify languages and to find out whether a string
   194 (formally) specify languages and to find out whether a string
   195 is in a language or not.\footnote{You might wish to ponder
   195 is in a language or not.\footnote{You might wish to ponder
   196 whether this is in general a hard or easy problem, where
   196 whether this is in general a hard or easy problem, where
   197 hardness is meant in terms of Turing decidable, for example.}
   197 hardness is meant in terms of Turing decidable, for example.}
   198 Note that the language containing the empty string $\{\dq{}\}$
   198 Note that the language containing the empty string $\{\dq{}\}$