"Intended as an upper-level undergraduate or introductory graduate text in computer science theory," this book lucidly covers the key concepts and theorems of the theory of computation. The presentation is remarkably clear; for example, the "proof idea," which offers the reader an intuitive feel for how the proof was constructed, accompanies many of the theorems and a proof. Introduction to the Theory of Computation covers the usual topics for this type of text plus it features a solid section on complexity theory--including an entire chapter on space complexity. The final chapter introduces more advanced topics, such as the discussion of complexity classes associated with probabilistic algorithms.


Book Description
Michael Sipser's emphasis on unifying computer science theory - rather than offering a collection of low-level details - sets the book apart, as do his intuitive explanations. Throughout the book, Sipser builds students' knowledge of conceptual tools used in computer science, the aesthetic sense they need to create elegant systems, and the ability to think through problems on their own.


Book Info
Presents computer science theory from a uniquely intuitive big picture perspective. Author grounds his clear and interesting study on broad mathematical principles, now low-level technical details. DLC: Machine theory.


About the Author
Dr. Sipser has been at MIT teaching and doing research in computational complexity theory for the past 24 years. He has published on a variety of areas, including circuit complexity, interactive proof systems, probabilistic computation and quantum computation. He enjoys lecturing, and has given courses ranging from freshman calculus to advanced seminars in complexity. In addition to MIT, he has held positions at the University of California/Berkeley and at IBM research.

FROM THE PUBLISHER