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State Machine & Flow Chart

State Machine

• A state machine is a behavior model. It consists of a finite number of states and is therefore also called finite-state machine (FSM).

  • Based on the current state and a given input the machine performs state transitions and produces outputs.

  • At any instant, a system may be in one of several possible states.

  • In a digital world, a change from one state to another occurs when an event (such as a clock pulse) takes place.

• Example:

   

Flow Chart

• A flow chart is a type of diagram that represents a work-flow or process.

• Different flow chart symbols have different meanings. The most common flow char symbols are:

  • Terminator: An oval flow chart shape indicating the start or end of the process.

  • Process: A rectangular flow chart shape indicating a normal process flow step.

  • Decision: A diamond flow chart shape indication a branch in the process flow.

  • Connector: A small, labeled, circular flow chart shape used to indicate a jump in the process flow. (Shown as the circle with the letter "A", in the diagram aobve.)

  • Data: A parallelogram that indicates data input or output (I/O) for a process.

  • Document: Used to indicate a document or report.