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Variations on Turing Machines III
A multidimensional Turing machine has a
multidimensional "tape;" for example, a two-dimensional
Turing machine would read and write on an infinite
plane divided into squares, like a checkerboard.
Possible directions that the tape head could move
might be labeled {N, E, S, W}.
A three-dimensional Turing machine might have
possible directions {N, E, S, W, U, D}, and so on.
Theorem. Multidimensional Turing machines
are equivalent to standard Turing machines.
A binary Turing machine is one whose tape
alphabet consists of exactly two symbols.
Theorem. Binary Turing machines
are equivalent to standard Turing machines.
A two-state Turing machine is one that
has only two states. (It makes up for this
by having a large, albeit finite, alphabet.)
Theorem. Two-state Turing machines
are equivalent to standard Turing machines.
Copyright © 1996 by David Matuszek
Last modified Mar 27, 1996