Math 381 / CS 360
Advanced Logic with Theory of Computation
Spring 2001

Turing Machines

Our Official Turing Machine

I have installed it on holmes, so it will be available in the Unix Lab without additional work on your part. To use it in the Unix Lab

• If you are familiar with running java applications, here is the info you probably want to know:
  • The .class files are located in /home/rpruim/m381/classes
  • The graphical simulator is TM.class
  • Grader.class and QuickText.class give ascii output. These require you to make a file (see documentation for details) containing the inputs you want to run your machine on.
  • You may need to set your CLASSPATH to reflect the location of these files.
• Alternatively (and probably easier), you can add /home/rpruim/bin to your path and use tm, gtm, and ttm in place of TM, Grader and QuickText. These scripts should allow you to execute the java applications from any directory.

Here are some files that may be of interest:

• Local mirror of documentation. This includes links to several sample TM files.
• Source: In case you want a local copy, all the files you need are in this gzipped tar-ball. (Includes documentation linked above.)

Some TM code

• Shift to right [TM, sample inputs]
• Duplicate input [TM, sample inputs]
• Shift, then duplicate input [TM, sample inputs]
• Binary addition (2 tapes) [TM, sample inputs]

Other Machine Simulators

• A nice Turing Machine applet by Suzanne Britton/Skinner. [Source available!]
  This was extended to a multiple tape version by some students.
• A graphically fancy Turing Machine applet From the Winner's Circle at sunsite.utk.edu. This applet has nifty graphics (a cute little machine, a tape that rolls onto spools on either end rather than just disappearing off the screen, etc.) but on my screen the rules list is too small to read and you only have a choice of 4 programs to run, at least as it is set up on this page.
• http://stud1.tuwien.ac.at/~e9108323/
• Virtual Turing Machine. This is done as a form-based perl program. (Doesn't require JAVA)
• Finite State Machine Explorer. A DFA/NFA type simulator programmed by Matt Chapman as undergraduate project.
• A description of how to simulate a Turing Machine in Conway's Game of Life.

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This page maintained by:
Randall Pruim
Department of Mathematics and Statistics
Calvin College
rpruim@calvin.edu