TABULAR METHOD FOR MINIMIZATION

• K-map method of simplification is convenient as long as the number of variables does not
exceed five or six.
• As the number of variables increases it is difficult to make judgement about which
combinations form the minimum expression. (Complexity of K-map simplification process
increases with the increase in the number of variables.(The minimum expression obtained
might not be unique.))
• K-map simplification is manual technique and simplification process is heavily depends on the
human abilities.
• To meet this needs, In 1950s W.V Quine and E.J McCluskey developed an exact tabular
method to simplify the Boolean expression. This method is called the Quine-McCluskey, or
tabular method.

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Algorithm for generating minimum prime implicants using Quine-McCluskey/
Tabular method:
1. List all minterms in the binary form.
2. Arrange the minterms according to number of 1s.
3. Compare each binary number with every term in the adjacent next higher category and if
they differ only by one position, put a tick mark and copy the term in the next column with
‘_ or X’ in the position that they differed.
4. Apply the same process described in step 3 for the resultant column and continue these
cycles until a single pass through cycle yields no further elimination of literals.
5. List all prime implicants.
6. Select the minimum number of prime implicants which must cover all the minterms.

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Generate the prime implicants for the function
f( x1,x2,x3,x4) = m(0,4,8,10,11,12,13,15)

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DETERMINATION OF A MINIMUM COVER

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to the table in figure b.

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(2)

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 19ECE204/Digital Electronics & Systems, III Semester, B. Tech.
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(ECE and CSE)
(3) Use the tabular method to determine the minimum-cost SoP expression for the function
f(x1,x2,x3,x4) = m (4,6,8,10,11,12,15) + D(3,5,7,9)
List 1 List 2 List 3
4 0100 4,5 010x 4,5,6,7 01xx
8 1000 4,6 01x0 4,6,5,7 01xx
3 0 0 1 1 4,12 x100 8,9,10,11 10xx
5 0101 8,9 100x 8,10,9,11 10xx
6 0110 8,10 10x0 3,7,11,15 x x 1 1
9 1001 8,12 1x00 3,11,7,15 x x 1 1
10 1010 3,7 0x11
12 1100 3,11 x011
7 0111 5,7 01x1 The prime implicants for this function are:
11 1 0 1 1  6,7 011x P = x100, 1x00, 01xx, 01xx, 10xx, 10xx, xx11, xx11
9,11 10x1
15 1 1 1 1 
10,11 10 1 x P = x100, 1x00, 01xx, 10xx, xx11
7,15 x 1 1 1 
11,15 1 x 1 1  =  p1,p2,p3,p4,p5

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 Prime Implicant Minterm
4 6 8 10 11 12 15
f(x1,x2,x3,x4) =
P1 x100  
x1’x2 + x1x2’ + x1x3’x4’ + x3x4

3 P2 1x00  

1 P3 01xx  

2 P4 10xx   

4 P5 xx11  

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(4) Use the tabular method to determine the minimum-cost PoS expression for the function
f(x1,x2,x3,x4) = M (0,1,2,13,14) + D(3,5,7,9)
List 1 List 2 List 3

0 0000 0,1 000x 0,1,2,3 00xx

1 0001 0,2 00x0 0,2,1,3 00xx
2 0010 1,3 00x1  1,3,5,7 0xx1
3 0011 1,5 0x01 1,5,3,7 0xx1
5 0101 1,9 x001 1,5,9,13 xx01
9 1001 2,3 001x 1,9,5,13 xx01
7 0111 3,7 0x11
13 1 1 0 1  5,7 01x1  The prime implicants for this function are:
14 1 1 1 0 5,13 x101 P = 1110, 00xx, 00xx, 0xx1, 0xx1, xx01, xx01
9,13 1x01
P = 1110, 00xx, 0xx1, xx01
=  p1,p2,p3,p4

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 Prime Implicant Minterm
0 1 2 13 14
3 P1 1110 

1 P2 00xx   

P3 0xx1 

2 P4 xx01  

f(x1,x2,x3,x4) = (x1 + x2) (x3 + x4’) (x1’ + x2’ + x3’ + x4)

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(5)

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(6) f(a,b,c,d,e) = m(0,1,2,3,6,8,9,10,11,17,20,21,23,25,28,30,31)
List 1 List 2 List 3 List 4
0 00000 0,1 0000_ 0,1,8,9 0_00_  0,1,8,9,2,10,3,11 0_0__
0,2 000_0 0,1,2,3 000__ 
1 00001 0,8 0_000
0,2,8,10 0_0_0 
2 00010
8 01000 1,3 0 0 0 _ 1 1,3,9,11 0_0_1 
1,9 0 _ 0 0 1 1,9,17,25 __001
3 00011 1,17 _ 0 0 0 1
2,10,3,11 0_01_ 
6 00110 2,6 00_10
9 01001 2,10 0_ 010 8,9,10,11 010__ 
8,9 0100_
10 01010
2,3 0001_
17 10001 8,10 010_ 0
20 10100 The prime implicants for this function are:
3,11 0 _ 0 1 1
11 01011 9,11 0 1 0 _ 1 P = 00x10, 10x01, 1010x, 1x100, 101x1, 111x0, 1x111, 1111x, xx001, 0x0xx
21 10101 9,25 _ 1 0 0 1
10,11 0101_
25 11001 =  p1,p2,p3,p4,p5,p6,p7,p8,p9,p10
17,21 10_ 01
28 11100 17,25 1_001
23 1 0 1 1 1  20,21 1010_
20,28 1_100
30 1 1 1 1 0 
21,23 1 0 1 _ 1
31 1 1 1 1 1  28,30 1 1 1 _ 0
23,31 1 _ 1 1 1
30,31 1 1 1 1 _
 PRIME IMPLICANT MINTERM
0 1 2 3 6 8 9 10 11 17 20 21 23 25 28 30 31
2 P1 = 0 0 x 1 0  
F(a,b,c,d,e) =
P2 = 1 0 x 0 1  
a’c’ + a’b’de’
4 P3 = 1 0 1 0 x   + ab’cd’ +
P4 = 1 x 1 0 0   acde + abce’
P5 = 1 0 1 x 1  

6 P6 = 1 1 1 x 0  

5 P7 = 1 x 1 1 1  

P8 = 1 1 1 1 x  

3 P9 = x x 0 0 1    

1 P10 = 0 x 0 x x        

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 19ECE204/Digital Electronics & Systems, III Semester, B. Tech.
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(ECE and CSE)