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Theoretical Background Logic Gates

The document provides an overview of logic gates, which are basic building blocks of digital circuits. It describes the 7 basic logic gates - AND, OR, XOR, NOT, NAND, NOR, and XNOR - and explains the function of each gate based on its inputs and outputs represented as 1s and 0s. Combinations of these logic gates can perform complex operations, and arrays of logic gates are found in integrated circuits where technology allows for ever more gates to be packed into a given physical space.

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834 views3 pages

Theoretical Background Logic Gates

The document provides an overview of logic gates, which are basic building blocks of digital circuits. It describes the 7 basic logic gates - AND, OR, XOR, NOT, NAND, NOR, and XNOR - and explains the function of each gate based on its inputs and outputs represented as 1s and 0s. Combinations of these logic gates can perform complex operations, and arrays of logic gates are found in integrated circuits where technology allows for ever more gates to be packed into a given physical space.

Uploaded by

Xiao Xi
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Theoretical Background

A logic gate is an elementary building block of a digital circuit. Most logic gates have two inputs
and one output. At any given moment, every terminal is in one of the two binary conditions low (0)
or high (1), represented by different voltage levels. The logic state of a terminal can, and generally
does, change often, as the circuit processes data. In most logic gates, the low state is
approximately zero volts (0 V), while the high state is approximately five volts positive (+5 V).

There are seven basic logic gates: AND, OR, XOR, NOT, NAND, NOR, and XNOR.

AND gate

The AND gate is so named because, if 0 is called "false" and 1 is called "true," the gate acts in
the same way as the logical "and" operator. The following illustration and table show the circuit
symbol and logic combinations for an AND gate. (In the symbol, the input terminals are at left and
the output terminal is at right.) The output is "true" when both inputs are "true." Otherwise, the
output is "false."

OR gate

The OR gate gets its name from the fact that it behaves after the fashion of the logical inclusive
"or." The output is "true" if either or both of the inputs are "true." If both inputs are "false," then
the output is "false."
XOR ( exclusive-OR ) gate

The XOR ( exclusive-OR ) gate acts in the same way as the logical "either/or." The output is
"true" if either, but not both, of the inputs are "true." The output is "false" if both inputs are "false"
or if both inputs are "true." Another way of looking at this circuit is to observe that the output is 1
if the inputs are different, but 0 if the inputs are the same.

NOT gate

A logical inverter , sometimes called a NOT gate to differentiate it from other types of electronic
inverter devices, has only one input. It reverses the logic state.

NAND gate

The NAND gate operates as an AND gate followed by a NOT gate. It acts in the manner of the
logical operation "and" followed by negation. The output is "false" if both inputs are "true."
Otherwise, the output is "true."
NOR gate

The NOR gate is a combination OR gate followed by an inverter. Its output is "true" if both
inputs are "false." Otherwise, the output is "false."

XNOR (exclusive-NOR) gate

The XNOR (exclusive-NOR) gate is a combination XOR gate followed by an inverter. Its output
is "true" if the inputs are the same, and"false" if the inputs are different.

Using combinations of logic gates, complex operations can be performed. In theory, there is no
limit to the number of gates that can be arrayed together in a single device. But in practice,
there is a limit to the number of gates that can be packed into a given physical space. Arrays of
logic gates are found in digital integrated circuits (ICs). As IC technology advances, the required
physical volume for each individual logic gate decreases and digital devices of the same or
smaller size become capable of performing ever-more-complicated operations at ever-
increasing speeds.

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