In computer science, an automaton, or abstract machine, is a kind of theoretical model that models certain kinds of computation.
Common Features
State: Automata have a set of possible states
Transition Function: Map between states
Discreteness: States transition occurs in discrete steps
Kind of Automata
Finite Automata have a finite number of possible states.
Pushdown automata have a stack.
Turing machines have an infinite tape that may be traversed multiple times