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### How to prove that a language is not regular?

We learned about the class of regular languages $\mathrm{REG}$. It is characterised by any one concept among regular expressions, finite automata and left-linear grammars, so it is easy to show that a ...
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### How to prove that a language is context-free?

There are many techniques to prove that a language is not context-free, but how do I prove that a language is context-free? What techniques are there to prove this? Obviously, one way is to exhibit ...
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### Are context-free languages in $a^*b^*$ closed under complement?

The context-free languages are not closed under complement, we know that. As far as I understand, context-free languages that are a subset of $a^*b^*$ for some letters $a,b$ are closed under ...
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### Pumping lemma: if you can keep pumping, what does this tell you?

Hypothetically, let's say you are using the pumping lemma for either regular or context free languages. Now using either, you come across a case that remains true despite pumping it. In this situation,...
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### Why is the following language not context-free?

$L = \{a^n b^m | m \not= n^2 \}$ I guess I need to use Pumping Lemma for CFL in order to prove this. But I'm stuck. Assuming that $a^n b^m = uvxyz$, we know that $v$ or $y$ can not have both $a$ ...
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### Are Turing machines more powerful than pushdown automata?

I've came up with a result while reading some automata books, that Turing machines appear to be more powerful than pushdown automata. Since the tape of a Turing machine can always be made to behave ...
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### Prime number CFG and Pumping Lemma

So I have a problem that I'm looking over for an exam that is coming up in my Theory of Computation class. I've had a lot of problems with the pumping lemma, so I was wondering if I might be able to ...
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### Can a two-stack PDA accept language $a^nb^mc^nd^m$ which is not context-free?

Can a two-stack PDA accept language $L=\{a^nb^mc^nd^m \mid n \geq m\}$, which has no context-free grammar? I don't believe this has a context-free grammar, but please correct me if I'm wrong.
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### A context free grammar proof

There is a problem which I cannot solve. If you give a tip I will be very glad. Prove that following language is not context free: $L= \{ a^nb^m | \gcd(n,m) = 1 \}$. It can be proven using the ...
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### Structure of a Pumping Lemma proof: contradiction or counterexample?

This site is full of Pumping Lemma questions, and I do admit I've not read them all. I've tried some proofs myself and they seem to work, but I can't find anywhere what is the (general) exact ...
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### Can the pumping lemma for context free languages be extended to any subword?

It is known that in the case of a Regular Language $L$ , the pumping lemma can be extended to apply to any sufficiently long subword of the language, ie, if $uwv \in L$ and $|w| \ge p$ then we can ...
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### Are permutations of context-free languages context-free?

Given a context-free language $L$, define the language $p(L)$ as containing all permutations of strings in $L$ (i.e. all strings in $L$ such that the order of symbols is not important). Is $p(L)$ ...
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### Prove that $\{0^n 1^{n\cdot m} : n,m \in \mathbb{N}\}$ is not context-free

This is a homework problem I have spent several hours on. A "hint" is given that we may use this fact: If $n,j,k \in \mathbb{N}$ satisfy $n \geq 2$ and $1 \leq j+k \leq n$, then $n^2+j$ does not ...
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### Is Python a context-free language?

From Wikipedia: Off-side_rule#Implementation, there is a statement: ...This requires that the lexer hold state, namely the current indentation level, and thus can detect changes in indentation ...
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### Use the pumping lemma to prove that {www} is not context-free

Use the pumping lemma to prove that the following language is not context-free. $\qquad L = \{ w w w \mid w \in \{a,b\}^*\}$ I am studying for an exam and really trying to understand this question. ...
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### Are regular and context free languages closed against making them prefix-free?

For a language L we define: $\qquad A(L) = \{ x \in L \mid \text{ no proper prefix of x is in L} \}$ Are regular / context free languages closed under this operation ? For regular languages I ...
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### Is this language LL(1) parseable?

I tried to find a simple example for a language that is not parseable with an LL(1) parser. I finally found this language. $$L=\{a^nb^m|n,m\in\mathbb N\land n\ge m\}$$ Is my hypothesis true or is ...
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### Use pumping lemma to show L is not context free

Show that L = $\{0^{2^n}| n\geq 0\}$ is not a context free language. Let string $s = 0^{2^p}$. Then we know we can write $s$ as $s = uvxyz$. I know that |vy| > 0 and $|vxy| \leq p$. So how do I ...
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### Can the String, $0^p 0^p 0^p$, be Used with the Pumping Lemma to Show that $w^r w w^r$ is Not Context Free?

I'm trying to show that $L=\left\{w^rww^r:w \in \{0,1\}^*\right\}$ is not context free using the pumping lemma. I thought picking the string, $0^p0^p0^p$, would be a good candidate for this, but ...
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### Does this language have a context-free grammar?

Here is a question that I encountered in one of my exams: Find one context-free grammar that recognizes the language: $\qquad L = \{a^n(b^mc^m)^pd^n \mid m, n, p \geq 0\}$ Can you find such a ...
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### How to prove that $L = \{a^n b^m a^n b^m \mid n,m \ge 0\}$ is not a CFL?

I'm stuck with the proof. I've tried Ogden's lemma but it doesn't seem to help. The problem is: Let $N$ be the constant of Ogden, let $z = a^N b^{N+1} a^N b^{N+1}$, and $z = uvwxy$. Now I should ...
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### Acceptance problem for CFGs is not regular

Let $ACFG$ be the language of all encodings $(C,x)$ where $C$ is a context free grammar that generates a language containing $x$, i.e. $ACFG$ is the acceptance problem for context free grammars. It ...
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### Context free/Non Context free Language [duplicate]

Let L = { uv composed of {0,1} | |u| = |v| and u = v } Do we agree that this language is not a Context Free Language ? If not, why ? Can you give me a pushdown automata that recognizes it or the ...
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### Is $\{a^mb^nc^{mn}\mid m>n\}$ a context-free language? [duplicate]

Been trying to figure it out for an hour myself and another hour looking around, I cannot find anything with the $c^{mn}$ part. $$L=\{a^mb^nc^{mn}\mid m>n\}$$
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### Proof that the language is not regular (Pumping Lemma) [closed]

I have to prove that the following language is not regular: $$\{ x | x = 10^{2n} + 10^n + 1, n ≥ 1\}$$ I am trying to prove it using Pumping Lemma, however, when I expand the expression I have both ...
Why is the language $A=\{wtw^r: w,t\in\{0,1\}^*\text{ and }|w|=|t|\}$ not a context free language? It is turning out to be really tricky. Is there an easy way to show this?
### Is $\{u u^R u : u \in \Sigma^*\}$ context-free?
Given a finite alphabet $\Sigma$ with more than one symbol, is $L = \{u u^R u : u \in \Sigma^*\}$ context-free? ($u^R$ is the reverse word of $u$) I tried to show it wasn't context-free by using the ...