finite state machine

American  

noun

1. a computational model that can be in only one of a fixed set of states at a time, transitioning from one state to another in response to an input consisting of any one of an alphabet of symbols. Abbreviation: FSM.

---

finite state machine Scientific  

1. A model of a computational system, consisting of a set of states (including a start state), an alphabet of symbols that serves as a set of possible inputs to the machine, and a transition function that maps each state to another state (or to itself) for any given input symbol. The machine operates by being fed a string of symbols, and moves through a series of states. The study of the computational power of finite state machines and other related machines is important in computer science and linguistics. The computational core of a Turing machine is a finite state machine.

2. Also called finite state automaton

---