is because an FSM's memory is limited by the number of states it has. A finite-state machine has the same computational power as a Turing machine that is restricted such that its head may only perform "read" operations, and always has to move from left to right. FSMs are studied in the more general field of automata theory.

Example: coin-operated turnstile

An example of a simple mechanism that can be modeled by a state machine is a turnstile.

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