Wikipedia:Categories for deletion/Category:Automata

The following discussion comes from Wikipedia:Categories for deletion. The decision was to keep both categories, which Category:Automata a sub-category of Category:Computational models. This is an archive of the discussion only; please do not edit this page. -Aranel ("Sarah") 06:25, 14 Jan 2005 (UTC)

Category:Automata

What's the deal with this listing? I found it just sitting here, with no explanation or anything. It seems to have some entries, so it's not here as unused. Perhaps someone was thinking it needs to be subsumed into some other category, although I'm not sure what it would be. Category:Cellular automata wouldn't be appropriate, that should rather be a sub-cat of this one; there are non-cellular automata. E.g. one constituent here, Büchi automaton, is related to Finite state automaton, another name for Finite state machine. A subcategory, Category:Deterministic finite automata, is empty, however. Puzzling... Noel Dunnh. Need to go to bed and get some sleep!(talk) 05:42, 10 Jan 2005 (UTC)

Category:Computational models

I want to delete Category:Computational models and Category:Automata and put their contents into the new Category:Automata theory. Category:Cellular automata would be moved as a subcategory into Category:Automata theory.

Automata theory (which is in very bad shape and has to be rewritten) is the more common term and cellular automata would be natural subcategory.MathMartin 22:03, 2 Dec 2004 (UTC)

• are all models of computation based on automata? I don't remember recalling that tidbit. Are all models of computation equivalent to an automaton? I don't recall that tidbit either. Isn't the Turing O-machine (Oracle machine) a non-automaton based model? 132.205.95.65 03:12, 4 Dec 2004 (UTC)
  • Not all models of computations are based on automata - in fact, I dare say most aren't. It would be more appropriate to delete Category:Automata and move Category:Cellular automata to a subcategory of Category:Computational models (or maybe keep Category:Automata as an intermediate category between Category:Computational models and Category:Cellular automata. -- Schneelocke (cheeks clone) [[]] 20:56, 8 Dec 2004 (UTC)
    • What is an Automaton ? Is a Turing machine an automaton ? Is automaton a synomyn for finite state machine ? I think automaton is a synonym for computational model ? Perhaps someone can clear this up MathMartin 19:44, 9 Dec 2004 (UTC)
• Keep. Woops, the headings confused me. I say, make automata a subcategory of computational models and keep both. I think it's better to have "collection" categories, as a rule, than "related concepts" categories. The article automata theory should function as the hub of automata theory articles, not a category. But that's just my opinion. Deco 02:26, 13 Dec 2004 (UTC)
• Keep. Since some very interesting models of computation are *not* equivalent to a finite state machine, which is what wikipedia claims is the definition of a computer science automata. (Although I do wish Category:Computational models was renamed singular Category:Computational model) --DavidCary 20:30, 15 Dec 2004 (UTC)
• Keep - automata is a subset of computer models. -Willmcw 09:05, 17 Dec 2004 (UTC)
• Keep - Automata have been traditionally associated with finite-state machines. Modern books on Theory of Computation tend to place all machines under the category "Model of Computation". Redefining things here would go against the literature, and I find it unnecessary. --Artur adib 23:29, 1 Jan 2005 (UTC)