What are finite state machines?

A finite state machine is like a toy that changes its behavior based on what you do with it.

Imagine you have a simple board game with just two positions: Start and Finish. You're playing with a friend, and every time they roll the dice, they move from one position to another. This game has only two states: being at Start or being at Finish. That’s what we call a finite state machine, it can be in a limited number of states, and it changes based on certain actions.

Think of it like a vending machine. When you put in a coin, it goes from the waiting state to the ready state. If you press a button, it might go to the dispensing state. The machine only has a few states, and each action makes it switch between them.

Finite state machines are used all around us, like traffic lights changing from red to green or even your phone switching from sleep mode to awake when you tap it. They're simple, yet powerful tools for making things change in predictable ways, just like the game you play with your friend!