boltzmann-brain
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maciej-bendkowski
What is the syntax for rational grammars?
I don't understand the syntax of rational grammars from the examples. How should I write the specification for aaabb or aa*bb* for instance ?
I tried writing them in the algebraic format but then paganini cannot tune the system (I guess it runs the singular tuner).
The syntax is meant to follow the construction of NFA. For instance, for the simple language aaabb we need two things. First, we need to specify the alphabet { a, b }. Secondly, we need to define the automaton:
State_1 -> State_2 (a)
State_2 -> State_3 (a)
State_3 -> State_4 (a)
State_4 -> State_5 (b)
State_5 -> State_6 (b)
State_6 -> _
and define, in the header of the file
@generate State_1
The above rule define transitions in form of <state> -> <state> (letter). Optionally, you can use the underscore _ to denote an epsilon (think of it as an epsilon transition to some implicit final state). If you need more rules for a single state, say for a* you can write something like:
State -> State (a)
| _
Regarding the remark of singular tuning, I think that boltzmann-brain should perhaps drop it's use entirely. Actual, singular tuners are a rare phenomenon (usually we can just approximate them). A better interface might just specify the target size and assume an implicit size, say size = 1, 000, 000, to be a reasonable approximation of a singular tuner. That also would be a nice feature to have. Sadly, I cannot guarantee when it's going to be implemented, though.
Oh I understand, I failed to recognize that this was an automaton description, everything is clearer now. Maybe it would be nice to write this in the README.
Concerning singular sampling, I guess you're right. From a practical point of view, targeting a specific size seems more convenient and reliable.
FYI: Most recent changes of boltzmann-brain drop rational input specifications and, consequently, rational grammars. It should, however, be easier to implement ad-hoc sampler generators using boltzmann-brain as a tuning tool.
Ahah I see that my answer is so late that the initial question is already out-dated ^^