NFA

An NFA, or Nondeterministic Finite Automaton, is a mathematical model used to recognize patterns or sequences within data, similar to how a computer might search for specific words or patterns. Unlike a deterministic system where each step has a clear next move, an NFA can branch into multiple possibilities simultaneously, allowing it to explore various options in parallel. This flexibility makes NFAs useful for modeling complex pattern recognition tasks, such as in text processing or compiler design, where multiple potential matches might occur. Despite its theoretical nature, NFAs form the foundation for many practical algorithms in computer science.