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Logic Gates

Transistors and resistors can be combined to create logic gates, which are the basic building blocks of computer circuits. The four main logic gates are NOT, AND, OR, and XOR gates. Each gate has a unique truth table that defines its output based on its inputs. Logic gates can be represented symbolically and combined using Boolean algebra expressions.

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92 views4 pages

Logic Gates

Transistors and resistors can be combined to create logic gates, which are the basic building blocks of computer circuits. The four main logic gates are NOT, AND, OR, and XOR gates. Each gate has a unique truth table that defines its output based on its inputs. Logic gates can be represented symbolically and combined using Boolean algebra expressions.

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Innocent musoyah
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Logic Gates

Transistors and resistors are electronic components that for the basis of most computer circuitry, albeit
in miniaturized form, in their millions, on silicon chips.  Transistors and resistors can be combined in
various ways to create special circuits known as logic gates.  Logic gates are the fundamental building
blocks of computer electronics.  Logic gates are simple electronic circuits that can manipulate electrical
voltages, producing different outputs (high or low) depending on their inputs (high or low).  You need to
be aware of the significance of logic gates in digital computing.  You need to know the names of the four
main gates, NOT, AND, OR and XOR, and be able to draw a truth table for each.

 NOT
A NOT gate can be made with one transistor and two resistors, so it is very simple.  It has one input and
one output.  what is special about a NOT gate is that if a voltage is applied to the input, there is no
voltage at the output.  Conversely, if there is no voltage at the input, there will be a voltage at the
output.  In other words, if a 1 goes in, a 0 comes out, and if a 0 goes in, a 1 comes out.  The NOT
gate circuit is represented with the following symbol:

The truth table for a NOT gate is very simple because there are only two possible values for the input,
1 and 0.  The output of a NOT gate is the inverse of the input, which is why the NOT gate is sometime
called an ‘inverter’.

Input 1 Output

0 1

1 0

 AN D

An AND gate can be made from two transistors and three resistors.  The AND gate has two inputs
and one output.  If both of the inputs for an AND gate are 1, the output is 1.  If either or both inputs are
0, the output will be 0.  The AND gate circuit is represented with the following symbol:

Here is the truth table for an AND gate:


Input 1 Input 2 Output

0 0 0

0 1 0

1 0 0

1 1 1

NOTE:
It is conventional to list the input combinations in a truth table in ascending numerical order.  As you
can see in the table above, binary zero (00) is at the top, followed by one (01), then two (10), then
three (11). 

OR
An OR gate can be made from two transistors and three resistors, wired in a slightly different way to
an AND gate. The OR gate also has two inputs and one output.  If either of the inputs, or both of the
inputs,  is 1, the output is 1. If both inputs are 0, the output will be 0.  The OR gate circuit is
represented with the following symbol:

Here is the truth table for an OR gate:

Input 1 Input 2 Output

0 0 0

0 1 1

1 0 1

1 1 1
 X O R

An XOR gate can be made with a combination of the other three gates.  Like this:
XOR stands for eXclusive OR.  The XOR gate has two inputs and one output.  It is similar to the OR
gate in that if either of the inputs is 1, the output is 1, but if both the inputs are 1, the output will be 0. 
The XOR gate circuit is represented with the following symbol:

Here is the truth table for an XOR gate:

Input 1 Input 2 Output

0 0 0

0 1 1

1 0 1

1 1 0
 

Logic Gate Expressions


Logic gates, and combinations of gates, can be written as expressions.  Being able to express gate
combinations algebraically, is the basis of the discipline known as ‘Boolean algebra’.  Boolean
algebraic expressions can be simplified, according to rules, in much the same way that mathematical
equations can be simplified.  This is important in the field of circuit design, allowing engineers to come
up with the best possible designs for new circuits.

Let’s start by looking at how to produce an expression for a given combination of gates, or draw a
combination of gates for a given expression.

The NOT gate shown here can be expressed as:

P NOT A

The OR gate shown here can be expressed as:

P = A OR B
The AND gate shown here can be expressed as:

P = A AND B

The combination of gates below can be expressed as:

P = (A AND B) OR C

Sketch the logic gate combinations that are described by each of the following expressions, where Y
is the output and all other letters are inputs:

Y = (A OR B) AND C
Y = (A AND B) OR (C AND D)
Y = NOT((A OR B) AND (C OR D))
Y = NOT(NOT A)
 

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