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BooleanAlgebraandReductionTechniques

BooleanAlgebraandReductionTechniques

BooleanAlgebraLawsandRules
TherearethreelawsofBooleanAlgebrathatarethesameasordinaryalgebra.
1.TheCommutativeLaw
additionA+B=B+A(Intermsoftheresult,theorderinwhichvariablesareORedmakesno
difference.)
multiplicationAB=BA(Intermsoftheresult,theorderinwhichvariablesareANDedmakesno
difference.)
2.TheAssociativeLaw
additionA+(B+C)=(A+B)+C(WhenORingmorethantwovariables,theresultisthesame
regardlessofthegroupingofthevariables.)
multiplicationA(BC)=(AB)C(WhenANDingmorethantwovariables,theresultisthesameregardless
ofthegroupingofthevariables.)
3.TheDistributiveLawThedistributivelawisthefactoringlaw.Acommonvariablecanbefactoredfrom
anexpressionjustasinordinaryalgebra.
A(B+C)=AB+AC

(A+B)(C+D)=AC+AD+BC+BDRemeberFOIL(First,Outer,Inner,Last)?

TenBasicRulesofBooleanAlgebra

1.AnythingANDedwitha0isequalto0.A*0=0
2.AnythingANDedwitha1isequaltoitself.A*1=A
3.AnythingORedwitha0isequaltoitself.A+0=A
4.AnythingORedwitha1isequalto1.A+1=1
5.AnythingANDedwithitselfisequaltoitself.A*A=A
6.AnythingORedwithitselfisequaltoitself.A+A=A

7.AnythingANDedwithitsowncomplementequals0.

8.AnythingORedwithitsowncomplementequals1.
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9.Anythingcomplementedtwiceisequaltotheoriginal.

10.Thetwovariablerule.

SimplificationofCombinationalLogicCircuitsUsing
BooleanAlgebra
Complexcombinationallogiccircuitsmustbereducedwithoutchangingthefunctionofthecircuit.
Reductionofalogiccircuitmeansthesamelogicfunctionwithfewergatesand/orinputs.
ThefirststeptoreducingalogiccircuitistowritetheBooleanEquationforthelogicfunction.
Thenextstepistoapplyasmanyrulesandlawsaspossibleinordertodecreasethenumberofterms
andvariablesintheexpression.
ToapplytherulesofBooleanAlgebraitisoftenhelpfultofirstremoveanyparenthesesorbrackets.
Afterremovaloftheparentheses,commontermsorfactorsmayberemovedleavingtermsthatcanbe
reducedbytherulesofBooleanAlgebra.
ThefinalstepistodrawthelogicdiagramforthereducedBooleanExpression.

SomeExamplesofSimplification
PerformFOIL(FirtOuterInnerLast)
AA=A(AnythingANDedwithitselfisitself)
Findaliketerm(A)andpullitout.(ThereisanAinA,AC,andAB).MakesureyouleavetheBCaloneat
theend.
AnythingORedwitha1isa1(1+C+B=1).
AnthingANDedwitha1isitself(A1=A)

SomeExamplesofSimplification(cont.)

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SomeExamplesofSimplification(cont.)
Findliketerm(B)andpullitout.
AnythingORedwithitsowncomplementequals1.
AnythingANDedwith1isitself.

SomeExamplesofSimplification(cont.)
Findliketermandpullthemout.Makesureyouleavetheone.
AnythingORedwitha1is1.
AnythingANDedwitha1isitself

SomeExamplesofSimplification(cont.)
Findliketermsandpullthemout.
AnythingORedwithitsowncomplementequals1.
AnythingANDedwith1equalsitself.

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BooleanAlgebraandReductionTechniques

NOTE:Iwillworkoutmanyexamplesinthevideo.

DeMorgan'sTheorem
DeMorgan'stheoremallowslargebarsinaBooleanExpressiontobebrokenupintosmallerbarsover
individualvariables.
DeMorgan'stheoremsaysthatalargebaroverseveralvariablescanbebrokenbetweenthevariables
ifthesignbetweenthevariablesischanged.
DeMorgan'stheoremcanbeusedtoprovethataNANDgateisequaltoanORgatewithinverted
inputs.
DeMorgan'stheoremcanbeusedtoprovethataNORgateisequaltoanANDgatewithinverted
inputs.
Inordertoreduceexpressionswithlargebars,thebarsmustfirstbebrokenup.Thismeansthatin
somecases,thefirststepinreducinganexpressionistouseDeMorgan'stheorem.
Itishighlyrecommendedtoplaceparenthesesaroundtermswherelineshavebeenbroken.

Forexample:

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DeMorgan(cont.)

ApplyingDeMorgan'stheoremandthedistributionlaw:

BubblePushing
BubblepushingisatechniquetoapplyDeMorgan'stheoremdirectlytothelogicdiagram.
1.Changethelogicgate(ANDtoORandORtoAND).
2.Addbubblestotheinputsandoutputswheretherewerenone,andremovetheoriginalbubbles.
LogicgatescanbeDeMorganizedsothatbubblesappearoninputsoroutputsinordertosatisfy
signalconditionsratherthanspecificlogicfunctions.Anactivelowsignalshouldbeconnectedtoa
bubbleontheinputofalogicgate.

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TheUniversalCapabilityofNANDandNORGates
NANDandNORgatesareuniversallogicgates.
TheAND,Or,NorandInverterfunctionscanallbeperformedusingonlyNANDgates.
TheAND,OR,NANDandInverterfunctionscanallbeperformedusingonlyNORgates.
AninvertercanbemadefromaNANDoraNORbyconnectingallinputsofthegatetogether.
IftheoutputofaNANDgateisinverted,itbecomesanANDfunction.
IftheoutputofaNORgateisinverted,itbecomesanORfunction.
IftheinputstoaNANDgateareinverted,thegatebecomesanORfunction.
IftheinputstoaNORgateareinverted,thegatebecomesanANDfunction.
WhenNANDgatesareusedtomaketheORfunctionandtheoutputisinverted,thefunctionbecomes
NOR.
WhenNORgatesareusedtojaketheANDfunctionandtheoutputisinverted,thefunctionbecomes
NAND.

ANDORInvertGatesforImplementingSumofProducts
Expressions

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Expressions
MostBooleanreductionsresultinaProductofSums(POS)expressionoraSumofProducts(SOP)
expression.
TheSumofProductsmeansthevariablesareANDedtoformatermandthetermsareORed.X=AB
+CD.
TheProductofSumsmeansthevariablesareORedtoformatermandthetermsareANDed.X=(A
+B)(C+D)
ANDORInvertergatecombinations(AOI)areavailableinstandardICsandcanbeusedtoimplement
SOPexpressions.
The74LS54isacommonlyusedAOI.
ProgrammableLogicDevices(PLDs)areavailableforlargerandmorecomplexfunctionsthancanbe
accomplishedwithanAOI.

KarnaughMapping
KarnaughmappingisagraphictechniqueforreducingaSumofProducts(SOP)expressiontoits
minimumform.
Two,threeandfourvariablekmapswillhave4,8and16cellsrespectively.
Eachcellofthekmapcorrespondstoaparticularcombinationoftheinputvariableandbetween
adjacentcellsonlyonevariableisallowedtochange.
Usethefollowingstepstoreduceanexpressionusingakmap.
1.UsetherulesofBooleanAlgebratochangetheexpressiontoaSOPexpression.
2.MarkeachtermoftheSOPexpressioninthecorrectcellofthekmap.(kindoflikethegame
Battleship)
3.Circleadjacentcellsingroupsof2,4or8makingthecirclesaslargeaspossible.(NO
DIAGONALS!)
4.WriteatermforeachcircleinafinalSOPexpression.Thevariablesinatermaretheonesthat
remainconstantacrossacircle.
Thecellsofakmaparecontinuouslefttorightandtoptobottom.Thewraparoundfeaturecanbe
usedtodrawthecirclesaslargeaspossible.
Whenavariabledoesnotappearintheoriginalequation,theequationmustbeplottedsothatall
combinationsofthemissingvariable(s)arecovered.
ThisisaveryvisualproblemsowatchthevideoforexamplesonhowtocompleteandsolveKarnaugh
Maps!

AdditionalNotes
Insomecasesthequestionarisesastotheorderofoperations.IfanANDandanORappearinthesame
expression,whichistobedonefirst?TheorderofoperationsofBooleanAlgebraarethesameasstandard
algebra.TheANDoperation(sameasmultiplication)isperformedfirst.Ofcourse,parenthesescanbeused
toaltertheorderofoperationsjustasinstandardalgebra.IntheexpressionAB+C,AisANDedtoBthen
ORedwithC.Intheexpression,A(B+C),BisORedwithCfirst,thenANDedwithA.
Afunctioninsideaparenthesesmustbeaccomplishedfirstbeforeanyfunctionsoutsidetheparentheses.A
baroverseveralvariablescanalsoactasaparentheses.Anyfunctionunderthebarmustbedonebefore
anyfunctionsnotunderthebar.

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