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Counter Automaton
A counter machine or counter automaton is an abstract machine used in a formal logic and theoretical computer science to model computation. It is the most primitive of the four types of register machines. A counter machine comprises a set of one or more unbounded ''registers'', each of which can hold a single non-negative integer, and a list of (usually sequential) arithmetic and control instructions for the machine to follow. The counter machine is typically used in the process of designing parallel algorithms in relation to the mutual exclusion principle. When used in this manner, the counter machine is used to model the discrete time-steps of a computational system in relation to memory accesses. By modeling computations in relation to the memory accesses for each respective computational step, parallel algorithms may be designed in such a matter to avoid interlocking, the simultaneous writing operation by two (or more) threads to the same memory address. Counter machines with ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Abstract Machine
In computer science, an abstract machine is a theoretical model that allows for a detailed and precise analysis of how a computer system functions. It is similar to a mathematical function in that it receives inputs and produces outputs based on predefined rules. Abstract machines vary from literal machines in that they are expected to perform correctly and independently of hardware. Abstract machines are "machines" because they allow step-by-step execution of programs; they are " abstract" because they ignore many aspects of actual ( hardware) machines. A typical abstract machine consists of a definition in terms of input, output, and the set of allowable operations used to turn the former into the latter. They can be used for purely theoretical reasons as well as models for real-world computer systems. In the theory of computation, abstract machines are often used in thought experiments regarding computability or to analyse the complexity of algorithms. This use of abstract mac ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Random-access Machine
In computer science, random-access machine (RAM or RA-machine) is a model of computation that describes an abstract machine in the general class of register machines. The RA-machine is very similar to the counter machine but with the added capability of 'indirect addressing' of its registers. The 'registers' are intuitively equivalent to Random-access memory, main memory of a common computer, except for the additional ability of registers to store natural numbers of any size. Like the counter machine, the RA-machine contains the execution instructions in the finite-state portion of the machine (the so-called Harvard architecture). The RA-machine's equivalent of the universal Turing machinewith its Computer program, program in the registers as well as its datais called the random-access stored-program machine or RASP-machine. It is an example of the so-called von Neumann architecture and is closest to the common notion of a computer. Together with the Turing machine and counter-m ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Call Stack
In computer science, a call stack is a Stack (abstract data type), stack data structure that stores information about the active subroutines and block (programming), inline blocks of a computer program. This type of stack is also known as an execution stack, program stack, control stack, run-time stack, or machine stack, and is often shortened to simply the "stack". Although maintenance of the call stack is important for the proper functioning of most software, the details are normally hidden and automatic in high-level programming languages. Many computer instruction sets provide special instructions for manipulating stacks. A call stack is used for several related purposes, but the main reason for having one is to keep track of the point to which each active subroutine should return control when it finishes executing. An active subroutine is one that has been called, but is yet to complete execution, after which control should be handed back to the point of call. Such activatio ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Knuth's Up-arrow Notation
In mathematics, Knuth's up-arrow notation is a method of notation for very large integers, introduced by Donald Knuth in 1976. In his 1947 paper, R. L. Goodstein introduced the specific sequence of operations that are now called ''hyperoperations''. Goodstein also suggested the Greek names tetration, pentation, etc., for the extended operations beyond exponentiation. The sequence starts with a unary operation (the successor function with ''n'' = 0), and continues with the binary operations of addition (''n'' = 1), multiplication (''n'' = 2), exponentiation (''n'' = 3), tetration (''n'' = 4), pentation (''n'' = 5), etc. Various notations have been used to represent hyperoperations. One such notation is H_n(a,b). Knuth's up-arrow notation \uparrow is another. For example: * the single arrow \uparrow represents exponentiation (iterated multiplication) 2 \uparrow 4 = H_3(2,4) = 2\times(2\times(2\times 2)) = 2^4 = 16 * the double arrow \uparrow\uparrow represents tetration (iterated ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Random-access Machine
In computer science, random-access machine (RAM or RA-machine) is a model of computation that describes an abstract machine in the general class of register machines. The RA-machine is very similar to the counter machine but with the added capability of 'indirect addressing' of its registers. The 'registers' are intuitively equivalent to Random-access memory, main memory of a common computer, except for the additional ability of registers to store natural numbers of any size. Like the counter machine, the RA-machine contains the execution instructions in the finite-state portion of the machine (the so-called Harvard architecture). The RA-machine's equivalent of the universal Turing machinewith its Computer program, program in the registers as well as its datais called the random-access stored-program machine or RASP-machine. It is an example of the so-called von Neumann architecture and is closest to the common notion of a computer. Together with the Turing machine and counter-m ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Primitive Recursion
In computability theory, a primitive recursive function is, roughly speaking, a function that can be computed by a computer program whose loops are all "for" loops (that is, an upper bound of the number of iterations of every loop is fixed before entering the loop). Primitive recursive functions form a strict subset of those general recursive functions that are also total functions. The importance of primitive recursive functions lies in the fact that most computable functions that are studied in number theory (and more generally in mathematics) are primitive recursive. For example, addition and division, the factorial and exponential function, and the function which returns the ''n''th prime are all primitive recursive. In fact, for showing that a computable function is primitive recursive, it suffices to show that its time complexity is bounded above by a primitive recursive function of the input size. It is hence not particularly easy to devise a computable function that is ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Recursion (computer Science)
In computer science, recursion is a method of solving a computational problem where the solution depends on solutions to smaller instances of the same problem. Recursion solves such recursion, recursive problems by using function (computer science), functions that call themselves from within their own code. The approach can be applied to many types of problems, and recursion is one of the central ideas of computer science. Most computer programming languages support recursion by allowing a function to call itself from within its own code. Some functional programming languages (for instance, Clojure) do not define any looping constructs but rely solely on recursion to repeatedly call code. It is proved in computability theory that these recursive-only languages are Turing complete; this means that they are as powerful (they can be used to solve the same problems) as imperative languages based on control structures such as and . Repeatedly calling a function from within itse ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
μ Operator
In computability theory, the μ-operator, minimization operator, or unbounded search operator searches for the least natural number with a given property. Adding the μ-operator to the primitive recursive functions makes it possible to define all computable functions. Definition Suppose that R(''y'', ''x''1, ..., ''x''''k'') is a fixed (''k''+1)-ary relation on the natural numbers. The μ-operator "μ''y''", in either the unbounded or bounded form, is a " number theoretic function" defined from the natural numbers to the natural numbers. However, "μ''y''" contains a '' predicate'' over the natural numbers, which can be thought of as a condition that evaluates to ''true'' when the predicate is satisfied and ''false'' when it is not. The ''bounded'' μ-operator appears earlier in Kleene (1952) ''Chapter IX Primitive Recursive Functions, §45 Predicates, prime factor representation'' as: :"\mu y_ R(y). \ \ \mbox \ y [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Turing Machine Equivalents
A Turing machine is a hypothetical computing device, first conceived by Alan Turing in 1936. Turing machines manipulate symbols on a potentially infinite strip of tape according to a finite table of rules, and they provide the theoretical underpinnings for the notion of a computer algorithm. While none of the following models have been shown to have more power than the single-tape, one-way infinite, multi-symbol Turing-machine model, their authors defined and used them to investigate questions and solve problems more easily than they could have if they had stayed with Turing's ''a''-machine model. Machines equivalent to the Turing machine model Turing equivalence Many machines that might be thought to have more computational capability than a simple universal Turing machine can be shown to have no more power. They might compute faster, perhaps, or use less memory, or their instruction set might be smaller, but they cannot compute more powerfully (i.e. more mathematical funct ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Primitive Recursive Function
In computability theory, a primitive recursive function is, roughly speaking, a function that can be computed by a computer program whose loops are all "for" loops (that is, an upper bound of the number of iterations of every loop is fixed before entering the loop). Primitive recursive functions form a strict subset of those general recursive functions that are also total functions. The importance of primitive recursive functions lies in the fact that most computable functions that are studied in number theory (and more generally in mathematics) are primitive recursive. For example, addition and division, the factorial and exponential function, and the function which returns the ''n''th prime are all primitive recursive. In fact, for showing that a computable function is primitive recursive, it suffices to show that its time complexity is bounded above by a primitive recursive function of the input size. It is hence not particularly easy to devise a computable function th ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
One-instruction Set Computer
A one-instruction set computer (OISC), sometimes referred to as an ultimate RISC, reduced instruction set computer (URISC), is an abstract machine that uses only one instructionobviating the need for a machine language opcode. With a judicious choice for the single instruction and given arbitrarily many resources, an OISC is capable of being a universal computer in the same manner as traditional computers that have multiple instructions. OISCs have been recommended as aids in teaching computer architecture and have been used as computational models in structural computing research. The first carbon nanotube computer is a 1-bit computing, 1-bit one-instruction set computer (and has only 178 transistors). Machine architecture In a Turing completeness, Turing-complete model, each memory location can store an arbitrary integer, anddepending on the mode, there may be arbitrarily many locations. The instructions themselves reside in memory as a sequence of such integers. There exists ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Register-machine Model
There are many variants of the counter machine, among them those of Hermes, Ershov, Péter, Minsky, Lambek, Shepherdson and Sturgis, and Schönhage. These are explained below. The models in more detail 1954: Hermes' model observe that ''"the proof of this universality f digital computers to Turing machines... seems to have been first written down by Hermes, who showed in --their reference numberhow an idealized computer could be programmed to duplicate the behavior of any Turing machine"'', and: ''"Kaphengst's approach is interesting in that it gives a direct proof of the universality of present-day digital computers, at least when idealized to the extent of admitting an infinity of storage registers each capable of storing arbitrarily long words"''. The only two ''arithmetic'' instructions are # Successor operation # Testing two numbers for equality The rest of the operations are transfers from register-to-accumulator or accumulator-to-register or test-jumps. Kaphengs ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
