State Diagrams — Complementary Table
publish date: 2026/06/08 10:49:39.020526 UTC
State diagrams are usually extended with a table that describes the states and stimuli. True or False: In a state/stimulus table, the Stimulus section describes the actions the system performs in each state, while the State section describes the events that trigger state transitions.
Correct Answer
Explanation
It is the other way around. In the complementary table: the State section describes each state and what the system does in that state (e.g., Waiting = oven waiting for input, display shows current time). The Stimulus section describes the events that stimulate state transitions (e.g., Half power = user has pressed the half-power button). Together, the diagram and table give a complete description of the system's event-driven behavior.
Reference
Software Engineering, Ian Sommerville, 10th edition