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How does the NFA function on $\epsilon$ input if there is only a single $\epsilon$ string in the language?

I understand that $L^* = \bigcup_{i=0}^\infty L^i$ where $L^0 = \{()\} = \{\epsilon\}$ and $L$ is the language. The empty string $\epsilon$ is an input to a NFA with $\epsilon$ moves.

I suspect an infinite number of strings could be defined with $\epsilon$ anywhere in the order, then the NFA with $\epsilon$ moves would function. However I do not see this definition.

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  • $\begingroup$ Are you talking about Non-deterministic finite state machines (NFA)? I think you mean $\epsilon$ transition (an edge in the state machine graph with the label $\epsilon$) instead of $\epsilon$ move? $\endgroup$
    – plshelp
    Mar 22, 2022 at 17:18
  • $\begingroup$ @plshelp that is correct, $\epsilon$ transition $\endgroup$
    – Nick
    Mar 22, 2022 at 18:47

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There is only one empty string, which you denoted by $\epsilon$. If you concatenate two empty strings, then you just get the empty string back: $\epsilon\epsilon = \epsilon$. This is the same as $0+0=0$. There is only one zero, and no matter how many times you add zero to itself, you only get the one zero.

I suspect that the real problem is with the semantics of $\epsilon$-NFAs (which are NFAs with $\epsilon$-transitions; an NFA is a nondeterministic finite state automaton). Let me give a definition which is similar to what you might have in mind. Suppose that $\Sigma$ is an alphabet which does not contain the symbol $\epsilon$, and define $\Sigma_\epsilon = \Sigma \cup \{\epsilon\}$. Here $\epsilon$ does not stand for the empty string. Rather, it is a letter of the alphabet. An $\epsilon$-NFA over the alphabet $\Sigma$ is the same as an NFA over the alphabet $\Sigma_\epsilon$.

Suppose that $A$ is an $\epsilon$-NFA over the alphabet $\Sigma$. Denote by $L_\epsilon(A)$ the language that it accepts as an NFA over the alphabet $\Sigma_\epsilon$. We define the language $L(A)$ over $\Sigma$, which is the language that $A$ accepts as an $\epsilon$-NFA over the alphabet $\Sigma$, as the language obtained from $L_\epsilon(A)$ by removing all $\epsilon$'s from all words.

For example, consider the following $\epsilon$-NFA $A$ over the alphabet $\Sigma = \{a,b\}$:

Automaton created by https://madebyevan.com/fsm/

The languages of this automaton are: $$ L_\epsilon(A) = \epsilon^*(\epsilon a)^+ + \epsilon^*(\epsilon b)^+ \\ L(A) = a^+ + b^+ $$

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  • $\begingroup$ Correct, clear, and concise! $\endgroup$
    – John L.
    Mar 22, 2022 at 18:51
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    $\begingroup$ I think your problem is that you don't understand the definition of the language accepted by an $\epsilon$-NFA. I gave one definition in my answer. You may be familiar with another definition. However, your mental image of how an $\epsilon$-NFA works is lacking. Choose one of the definitions, and adapt your mental image to match it. $\endgroup$ Mar 22, 2022 at 19:15
  • $\begingroup$ Wiki en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nondeterministic_finite_automaton claims for an $\epsilon$-NFA, $\epsilon$ is an input symbol, but also claims $\epsilon$ transitions do not consume an input, which seems contradictory. Given this, I would suspect your $\Sigma_{\epsilon}$ alphabet is really the one for the $\epsilon$-NFA. A little confused here $\endgroup$
    – Nick
    Mar 22, 2022 at 19:36
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    $\begingroup$ Wikipedia is not a good source for mathematics. $\endgroup$ Mar 22, 2022 at 19:47
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    $\begingroup$ @nick, as Yuval says, Wikipedia's mathematical pages are often low quality. But in this case, I think you are misreading the page. The page says "This automaton replaces the transition function with the one that allows the empty string ε as a possible input." It does not say "possible input symbol"; the empty string ε is not a symbol any more than the input string aa. aa is a sequence containing two symbols; ε is a sequence of zero symbols. $\endgroup$
    – rici
    Mar 22, 2022 at 20:08
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$\epsilon$ is a typographical convention, not a part of the underlying mathematical object. It's written where writing nothing would leave a confusing or ambiguous empty space.

Transitions labeled $\epsilon$ are really unlabeled transitions, and can be taken ad lib, without consuming any characters from the string. They don't consume an $\epsilon$ from the string. The string doesn't contain any $\epsilon$s, even if it's empty.

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  • $\begingroup$ "𝜖" ..."are really unlabeled transitions"..."without consuming any characters from the string". So an indefinite amount of $\epsilon$ transitions can occur between symbols from the input alphabet? $\endgroup$
    – Nick
    Mar 22, 2022 at 18:54
  • $\begingroup$ '"$\epsilon$ is the computer-science version of "this space intentionally left blank"' This statement is misleading if not simply wrong. A whitespace character, which implies "this space intentionally left blank" literally, is not the empty string at all. $\endgroup$
    – John L.
    Mar 22, 2022 at 19:03
  • $\begingroup$ @JohnL. Okay, I reworded. $\endgroup$
    – benrg
    Mar 22, 2022 at 19:32
  • $\begingroup$ @Nick That's correct. $\endgroup$
    – benrg
    Mar 22, 2022 at 19:33
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    $\begingroup$ @Nick NFAs use angelic nondeterminism: they take whatever legal transitions lead to an accepting state at the end of the string. Or, equivalently, they both take and don't take all legal transitions, remembering a set of reachable nodes at each string position. If there's a cycle of $\epsilon$ transitions, the set simply contains all nodes in the cycle. $\endgroup$
    – benrg
    Mar 22, 2022 at 19:58

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