Written by the Fiveable Content Team • Last updated September 2025
Verified for the 2026 exam
Verified for the 2026 exam•Written by the Fiveable Content Team • Last updated September 2025
Definition
State machines are computational models that consist of a set of states and transitions between those states. They are used to represent systems that change from one state to another based on inputs or events.
Related terms
Finite Automaton: A type of state machine with a finite number of states and transitions.
Mealy Machine: A type of state machine where outputs depend on both the current state and input.
Moore Machine: A type of state machine where outputs depend only on the current state.