--- product_id: 3630240 title: "Introduction to the Theory of Computation" price: "€ 175.77" currency: EUR in_stock: true reviews_count: 13 url: https://www.desertcart.be/products/3630240-introduction-to-the-theory-of-computation store_origin: BE region: Belgium --- # Comprehensive 3rd Edition Updated Parsing & Grammars Deep Theoretical Insights Introduction to the Theory of Computation **Price:** € 175.77 **Availability:** βœ… In Stock ## Summary > πŸ“˜ Unlock the secrets of computation β€” don’t get left behind! ## Quick Answers - **What is this?** Introduction to the Theory of Computation - **How much does it cost?** € 175.77 with free shipping - **Is it available?** Yes, in stock and ready to ship - **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.be](https://www.desertcart.be/products/3630240-introduction-to-the-theory-of-computation) ## Best For - Customers looking for quality international products ## Why This Product - Free international shipping included - Worldwide delivery with tracking - 15-day hassle-free returns ## Key Features - β€’ **Trusted Market Leader:** Join thousands who rely on the #1 computational theory textbook. - β€’ **Ideal for Advanced Learners:** Perfect for upper-level CS and math students aiming to deepen expertise. - β€’ **Blend Practical & Philosophical:** Explore both mathematical rigor and real-world computing applications. - β€’ **Stay Ahead with Latest Revisions:** Includes cutting-edge updates on deterministic context-free languages and LR(k) grammars. - β€’ **Master Complex Computation Theory:** Tackle advanced topics with clarity and confidence. ## Overview Introduction to the Theory of Computation, 3rd Edition, is a market-leading textbook offering a rigorous yet approachable exploration of computational theory. Featuring updated content on deterministic context-free languages and LR(k) grammars, it blends mathematical proofs with practical insights, making it essential for advanced computer science and mathematics students. This used copy is in good condition, providing an affordable gateway to mastering one of the most challenging and rewarding fields in computing. ## Description Gain a clear understanding of even the most complex, highly theoretical computational theory topics in the approachable presentation found only in the market-leading INTRODUCTION TO THE THEORY OF COMPUTATION, 3E. The number one choice for today's computational theory course, this revision continues the book's well-know, approachable style with timely revisions, additional practice, and more memorable examples in key areas. A new first-of-its-kind theoretical treatment of deterministic context-free languages is ideal for a better understanding of parsing and LR(k) grammars. You gain a solid understanding of the fundamental mathematical properties of computer hardware, software, and applications with a blend of practical and philosophical coverage and mathematical treatments, including advanced theorems and proofs. INTRODUCTION TO THE THEORY OF COMPUTATION, 3E's comprehensive coverage makes this a valuable reference for your continued studies in theoretical computing. Review: First Thoughts: Very Mathematical; A Deep Treatment Of This Subject; Up To Date Too - This is a book I would recommend to third year university computer science and third year university pure mathematics students. Rather terse in style densely packed with challenging content, I really will have to take time to read it carefully to fully appreciate it. In my Bachelor of Science at the University of Melbourne years ago I studied some related content in a subject entitled 618-341 Mathematical Logic, and did not take the computer science subject 622-301 Theory Of Computation. Now, from the mathematician's point of view finitism is irrelevant it's a matter of axiom systems being consistent and proving things. The Godel number encoding of theorems and interiority arguments and clever free variable substitution arguments together with model theory were used to establish as true many powerful results ... I note that the terminology has changed since 1982; what was called then 'a recursive formula' is now called Turing decidable and what was called then 'a recursively enumerable formula' is now called 'Turing recognizable'. For example, this author would regard a Turing machine that took a blank tape and churned out the binary representation of pi 3.14159265358979323846 etc in some tape representation to an infinite number of places as a Turing machine that loops, even if such a Turing machine was reasonably well behaved in terms of its generally moving forwards ... This begs the question of real number representation; the bit string 0.11111111111 ... is essentially the same real value as 1.0000000000 ... This suggests to me that Turing theory has taken a more finitistic turn; whether this is to avoid paradoxes recently found I haven't worked out yet. In the real world with its quantum mechanics randomness and lack of apparent finititude it's quite concievable that a multi-tape Turing machine (as described in outline in section 3.2 p176ff) device could resolve a real number function evaluation so as to avoid a value ending in an infinite series of 1's that rightly should be rounded up, and store the real value as a constant in some 'set' device for storing real numbers ... However till we know more about the real truths underlying physics this is mere speculation ... There are a lot of topics that are quite new to me. For example, P less than NP less than PSPACE less than NPSPACE less then EXPTIME seems a rather more complex hypothesis regarding algorithms and their expected time to complete than I've met in other works ... Reading this section I hope will prove rewarding ... Overall it seems that the field has moved on since 1982 in many a way and I hope this book enables me to refresh my knowledge with the latest results. An excellent treatment of the whole field of theory of computation. The only criticism I can think to make is that this work seems to have a finitistic philosophy rather than a mathematical Platonist philosophy ... but then this is essential to the computer science approach rather than a pure mathematical one ... Review: Excellent - This is a brilliantly paced and accessible treatment of relatively complex topics. ## Features - Used Book in Good Condition ## Technical Specifications | Specification | Value | |---------------|-------| | Best Sellers Rank | #62,688 in Books ( See Top 100 in Books ) #8 in Machine Theory (Books) #325 in Computer Science (Books) | | Customer Reviews | 4.4 out of 5 stars 596 Reviews | ## Images ![Introduction to the Theory of Computation - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/61dPNb6AUJL.jpg) ## Customer Reviews ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ First Thoughts: Very Mathematical; A Deep Treatment Of This Subject; Up To Date Too *by A***R on March 14, 2013* This is a book I would recommend to third year university computer science and third year university pure mathematics students. Rather terse in style densely packed with challenging content, I really will have to take time to read it carefully to fully appreciate it. In my Bachelor of Science at the University of Melbourne years ago I studied some related content in a subject entitled 618-341 Mathematical Logic, and did not take the computer science subject 622-301 Theory Of Computation. Now, from the mathematician's point of view finitism is irrelevant it's a matter of axiom systems being consistent and proving things. The Godel number encoding of theorems and interiority arguments and clever free variable substitution arguments together with model theory were used to establish as true many powerful results ... I note that the terminology has changed since 1982; what was called then 'a recursive formula' is now called Turing decidable and what was called then 'a recursively enumerable formula' is now called 'Turing recognizable'. For example, this author would regard a Turing machine that took a blank tape and churned out the binary representation of pi 3.14159265358979323846 etc in some tape representation to an infinite number of places as a Turing machine that loops, even if such a Turing machine was reasonably well behaved in terms of its generally moving forwards ... This begs the question of real number representation; the bit string 0.11111111111 ... is essentially the same real value as 1.0000000000 ... This suggests to me that Turing theory has taken a more finitistic turn; whether this is to avoid paradoxes recently found I haven't worked out yet. In the real world with its quantum mechanics randomness and lack of apparent finititude it's quite concievable that a multi-tape Turing machine (as described in outline in section 3.2 p176ff) device could resolve a real number function evaluation so as to avoid a value ending in an infinite series of 1's that rightly should be rounded up, and store the real value as a constant in some 'set' device for storing real numbers ... However till we know more about the real truths underlying physics this is mere speculation ... There are a lot of topics that are quite new to me. For example, P less than NP less than PSPACE less than NPSPACE less then EXPTIME seems a rather more complex hypothesis regarding algorithms and their expected time to complete than I've met in other works ... Reading this section I hope will prove rewarding ... Overall it seems that the field has moved on since 1982 in many a way and I hope this book enables me to refresh my knowledge with the latest results. An excellent treatment of the whole field of theory of computation. The only criticism I can think to make is that this work seems to have a finitistic philosophy rather than a mathematical Platonist philosophy ... but then this is essential to the computer science approach rather than a pure mathematical one ... ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Excellent *by A***R on August 16, 2026* This is a brilliantly paced and accessible treatment of relatively complex topics. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Fantastic coverage of formal language and automata theory *by A***R on December 23, 2024* I purchased this book on the advice of my PhD advisor as an additional resource for a formal language and automata theory course. It is not the textbook for the course I am in, but it could/should be. Prof. Sipser breaks down the subject clearly and when used with the recorded lectures from MIT available for free online, it's a fantastic resource for enriching understanding of the fundamentals of theoretical computer science. ## Frequently Bought Together - Introduction to the Theory of Computation - Introduction to Algorithms, fourth edition - An Introduction to Formal Languages and Automata --- ## Why Shop on Desertcart? - πŸ›’ **Trusted by 1.3+ Million Shoppers** β€” Serving international shoppers since 2016 - 🌍 **Shop Globally** β€” Access 737+ million products across 21 categories - πŸ’° **No Hidden Fees** β€” All customs, duties, and taxes included in the price - πŸ”„ **15-Day Free Returns** β€” Hassle-free returns (30 days for PRO members) - πŸ”’ **Secure Payments** β€” Trusted payment options with buyer protection - ⭐ **TrustPilot Rated 4.5/5** β€” Based on 8,000+ happy customer reviews **Shop now:** [https://www.desertcart.be/products/3630240-introduction-to-the-theory-of-computation](https://www.desertcart.be/products/3630240-introduction-to-the-theory-of-computation) --- *Product available on Desertcart Belgium* *Store origin: BE* *Last updated: 2026-09-12*