In automata theory

Automata theory

In theoretical computer science, automata theory is the study of abstract machines and the computational problems that can be solved using these machines. These abstract machines are called automata...

 and sequential logic

Sequential logic

In digital circuit theory, sequential logic is a type of logic circuit whose output depends not only on the present input but also on the history of the input. This is in contrast to combinational logic, whose output is a function of, and only of, the present input...

, a state transition table is a table showing what state (or states in the case of a nondeterministic finite automaton

Nondeterministic finite state machine

In the automata theory, a nondeterministic finite state machine or nondeterministic finite automaton is a finite state machine where from each state and a given input symbol the automaton may jump into several possible next states...

) a finite semiautomaton

Semiautomaton

In mathematics and theoretical computer science, a semiautomaton is an automaton having only an input, and no output. It consists of a set Q of states, a set Σ called the input alphabet, and a function T: Q × Σ → Q called the transition function.Associated to any semiautomaton is a monoid called...

 or finite state machine

Finite state machine

A finite-state machine or finite-state automaton , or simply a state machine, is a mathematical model used to design computer programs and digital logic circuits. It is conceived as an abstract machine that can be in one of a finite number of states...

 will move to, based on the current state and other inputs. A state table is essentially a truth table

Truth table

A truth table is a mathematical table used in logic—specifically in connection with Boolean algebra, boolean functions, and propositional calculus—to compute the functional values of logical expressions on each of their functional arguments, that is, on each combination of values taken by their...

 in which some of the inputs are the current state, and the outputs include the next state, along with other outputs.

A state table is one of many ways to specify a state machine, other ways being a state diagram

State diagram

A state diagram is a type of diagram used in computer science and related fields to describe the behavior of systems. State diagrams require that the system described is composed of a finite number of states; sometimes, this is indeed the case, while at other times this is a reasonable abstraction...

, and a characteristic equation.
Also called characteristic tables, single-dimension state tables are much more like truth tables than the two-dimensional versions.