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A What Machine?
What is a state machine?

  • sometimes called 'finite state automata'
  • consist of states and transitions
  • state: things like "waiting for bus", "paying fare", "chatting with the person next to me on the bus"
  • transition: "done waiting for the bus. now go up and pay the fare" or "stop chatting with person next to me, start staring out the window"

    Ascii Fu: 

    ...........                               ........... 
| State 1 | -=> transition to state 2 -=> | State 2 |
...........                               ...........  
     ^                                         |
     |                                         | 
     |- transition back to state 1             |- transition to state 3
     |                                         V 
...........                              ............
| State 4 | <=- transition to state 4 <=-| State 3  |
...........                              ............
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