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Equivalence of DFAs and NFAs with multiple start states

Asked by Ananya_Sharma | Textbook Reference: Peter Linz (TOC)


Suppose we modify the definition of a Finite Automaton to allow multiple starting states. That is, a modified Nondeterministic Finite Automaton (NFA) is defined with a set of start states $Q_0 \subseteq Q$ instead of a single start state $q_0$. Does this modification increase the expressive power of the automaton? Specifically: 1. Does this modified NFA recognize any non-regular languages? 2. Can a standard DFA be converted into a modified DFA with multiple start states, and vice versa? Please explain with a construction showing how the start states transition works.

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