Nazariyai avtomatho yak fasli kibernetikai nazariyavist, ki tabdildihandahoi gunoguni akhbori munfassil (informatsiyai diskreti)-ro meomuzad.
Solhoi 50 asri 20 hamroha ba talaboti loihagirii kompyuterho va zarurati tartib dodani modelhoi matematiki i prosesshoi korkardi akhbor dar sistemahoi biologi, iqtisodi va gayra tashakkul yoftaast. Mafhumi abstraktii avtomat va mafhumi kompozitsiyai avtomatho mafhumhoi asosii Nazariyai avtomatho ba hisob meravand. In mafhumho abstraksiyahoi boshuuronai tajhizoti voqei — avtomatho meboshand. Mafhumi avtomat imkoniyat medihad, ki tajhizot az nuqtai nazari algoritmi kori on, yane algoritmi korkardi akhbori ba on dokhilshavanda tavsif doda shavad. Kompozitsiyai avtomatov boshad, algoritmi kori tajhizotro az rui sokhti khudi tajhizot tavsif medihad yo khud on dar borai az kadom qismho bo chi tarz tarkib yoftani tajhizoti dodashuda malumot medihad. Nazariyai avtomathoj asosan dar loihakashi va avtomatonii loihakashii tajhizoti munfassil (az jumla kompyuterho) amalan istifoda meshavad. Hozir Nazariyai avtomathoro dar nazariyai algoritmho, kibernetika, nazariyai sistemahoi sharti, nazariyai programmasozi va gayra niz tatbiq, mekunand.
Ad.: Trakhtenbrot V. A., Barzd i n Ya. M., Konechnie avtomati, M., 1070; G l ushkov V. M., Spitsya tsifrovikh avtomatov, M., 1072.