Week 4: Boolean Algebra Part – A

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Basic Theorems
Rusdianto Roestam
 After learning this material,
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you should be able to explain:

Understand the basic operations and laws of Boolean algebra.

Relate these operations and laws to circuits composed of AND
gates, OR gates, and INVERTERS. Also relate these operations
and laws to circuits composed of switches.

Prove any of these laws in switching algebra using a truth table.

Apply these laws to the manipulation of algebraic expressions
including:

Multiplying out an expression to obtain a sum of products
(SOP)

Factoring an expression to obtain a product of sums (POS)

Simplifying an expression by applying one of the laws

Finding the complement of an expression
3 Introduction

We will use a Boolean variable, such as X or Y,
to represent the input or output of a switching
circuit.

We will assume that each of these variables
can take on only two different values.

The symbols “0” and “1” are used to represent
these two different values.

Thus, if X is a Boolean (switching) variable,
then either X = 0 or X = 1.
4 Basic Operations

Called AND, OR, and complement (or inverse)

If contact X is open, the variable X is defined to be 0; if contact
X is closed, the variable X is defined to be 1.

The contacts in a switch can be normally open (NO) or normally
closed (NC). --- When the switch position is changed,

the NO contact closes and the NC contact opens,

so the NO and NC contacts are always in opposite states.

If X is the variable assigned to the NO contact, then the variable
assigned to the NC contact is the complement of X, denoted as
X′ , where the prime (′) denotes complementation.
5 Inverter

If X is a switching variable,

X′ = 1 if X = 0

X′ = 0 if X = 1

The electronic circuit which forms the inverse
of X is referred to as an inverter
6 AND Operation

When switch contacts A and B are connected in
series (see truth table below),

there is an open circuit between the terminals if
either A or B or both are open (0),

there is a closed circuit between the terminals
only if both A and B are closed (1).

AND operation is written algebraically as C = A
·B.

usually write AB instead of A · B.

also referred to as logical (or Boolean)
multiplication.
7 OR operation

When switches A and B are connected in
parallel,

there is a closed circuit between the terminals if
either A or B is closed (1), and there is an open circuit
between the terminals only if both A and B are open
(0).

written algebraically as C = A + B.
8 Logic gates operation

Logic gates operate so that the voltage on inputs
and outputs of a gate is either in a low voltage
range or a high voltage range, except when the
signals are changing.

Switching algebra can be applied to logic gates by
assigning 0 and 1 to the two voltage ranges.

Usually, a 0 is assigned to the low voltage range
and a 1 to the high voltage range (Logic 0= -5 V)

Fig below is Logic gates which perform the AND
and OR operations
 Boolean Expressions and Truth
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Tables
 Boolean expressions are formed by application of the
basic operations to one or more variables or constants.
 The simplest expressions consist of a single constant or
variable, such as 0, X, or Y′.
 More complicated expressions are formed by combining
two or more other expressions using AND or OR, or by
complementing another expression.
 Examples of expressions are: –> Expression (2-1), B′ is
formed first, then A.B′, and finally AB′ + C.
 Circuits for Expressions (2-1) and
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(2-2)
If A = B = C = 1 and D = E = 0, the value of
Expression (2-2) is
[ A(C + D) ] ′ + BE = [ 1(1 + 0) ] ′ + 1 · 0 = [ 1(1) ] ′
+0=0+0=0
11 Truth table

A truth table (also called a table of combinations)
specifies the values of a Boolean expression for every
possible combination of values of the variables in the
expression.

The name truth table comes from a similar table which
is used in symbolic logic to list the truth or falsity of a
statement under all possible conditions.

We can use a truth table to specify the output values
for a circuit of logic gates in terms of the values of the
input variables.
 Two-Input Circuit
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and Truth Table
 Equation (2-3)
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AB′ + C = (A + C)(B′ + C)
Two expressions are equal if they have the same value for every
possible combination of the variables.
14 Basic Theorems
Operations with 0 and 1:
X+0=X (2-4) X · 1 = X (2-4D)
X+1=1 (2-5) X · 0 = 0 (2-5D)

Idempotent laws:
X+X=X (2-6) X · X = X (2-6D)
Involution law:
(X′)′ = X (2-7)
Laws of complementarity:
X + X′ = 1 (2-8)X · X′ = 0 (2-8D)

Each of these theorems is easily proved by showing that it is valid for both of
the possible values of X. For example, to prove X + X′ = 1, we observe that if
X = 0, 0 + 0′ = 0 + 1 = 1, and if X = 1, 1 + 1′ = 1 + 0 = 1

Any expression can be substituted for the variable X in these theorems.

Thus, by Theorem (2-5), (AB′ + D)E + 1 = 1
and by Theorem (2-8D),
(AB′ + D)(AB′ + D)′ = 0
15 Circuit with 2 switches (example)
 Commutative, Associative,
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Distributive, and DeMorgan’s Laws
The commutative laws for AND and OR, which follow
directly from the definitions of the AND and OR
operations, are
XY = YX (2-9)
X+Y=Y+X (2-9D)
The associative laws also apply to AND and OR:
(XY)Z = X(YZ) = XYZ (2-10)
(X + Y) + Z = X + (Y + Z) = X + Y + Z (2-10D)
17 Proof of Associative Law for AND
 Associative laws
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using AND and OR gates

If any of the
variables have the
value 0, the result of
the AND operation
will be 0.

For example, XYZ = 1 iff
X=Y=Z=1

The result of the OR
operation will be 0 iff
all of the variables
have the value 0.

For example, X + Y + Z =
0 iff X = Y = Z = 0
19 Proof of Distribution Law
Using a truth table, it is easy to show that the
distributive law is valid:
X(Y + Z) = XY + XZ (2-11)
In addition to the ordinary distributive law, a
second distributive law is valid for Boolean
algebra but not for ordinary (arithmetic) algebra:
X + YZ = (X + Y)(X + Z) (2-11D)
20 Proof of the second distributive law
l
(X + Y)(X + Z) = X(X + Z) + Y(X + Z) = XX + XZ +
YX + YZ (by (2-11))
l
= X + XZ + XY + YZ = X · 1 + XZ + XY + YZ (by
(2-6D) and (2-4D))
l
= X(1 + Z + Y) + YZ = X · 1 + YZ = X + YZ (by
(2-11), (2-5), and (2-4D))
l
In particular, an expression like A + BC, which
cannot be factored in ordinary algebra, is easily
factored using the second distributive law:
A + BC = (A + B)(A + C)
l
21 DeMorgan’s laws
(X + Y )′ = X′Y′ (2-12)
(XY)′ = X′ + Y′ (2-13)
verify these laws using a truth table:
22 Laws of Boolean Algebra
Operations with 0 and 1:
l l
Commutative laws:
l
1. X + 0 = X 1D. X · 1 = X l
6. X + Y = Y + X 6D. XY = YX
l
2. X + 1 = 1 2D. X · 0 = 0

Idempotent laws:
l Associative laws:
l

l
3. X + X = X 3D. X · X = X
l
7. (X + Y ) + Z = X + (Y + Z ) = X + Y + Z
l
7D. (XY )Z = X(YZ ) = XYZ

l
Involution law: l
Distributive laws:
8. X(Y + Z ) = XY + XZ
4. (X′)′ = X
l
l
l
8D. X + YZ = (X + Y )(X + Z )

l
Laws of complementarity: l
DeMorgan’s laws:
l
5. X + X′ = 1 5D. X · X′ = 0 l
9. (X + Y )′ = X′Y′ ----- 9D. (XY )′ = X′ + Y
′