Turing Machines: Basics

This lecture introduces Turing machines as simple automata with a finite number of states and a tape for reading. Unlike finite automata or pushdown automata, Turing machines have the ability to manipulate the tape by moving left or right, reading, and writing symbols. The lecture covers the transition function, the concept of states, the tape alphabet, and the importance of configurations in executing a Turing machine. It also touches on determinism, non-determinism, and the relationship between problems solvable by deterministic and non-deterministic Turing machines.