Lecture 6

Quine-McCluskey Method
• A systematic simplification
procedure to reduce a minterm
expansion to a minimum sum of
products.
• Use XY + XY’ = X to eliminate
as many as literals as possible.
– The resulting terms = prime
implicants.
• Use a prime implicant chart to
select a minimum set of prime
implicants.

Chap 6 C-H 1
 Determination of Prime
Implicants

 Eliminate literals
Two terms can be combined if they
differ in exactly one variable.
AB’CD’ + AB’CD = AB’C
10 10 +1011 = 101
X Y X Y’ X

A’BC’D + A’BCD’ (won’t combine)

0 1 0 1 + 0 1 1 0 (check # of 1’s)

We need to compare and combine

whenever possible.

Chap 6 C-H 2
 Sorting to Reduce
Comparisons
 Sort into groups according to
the number of 1’s.
F(a,b,c.d) = Σm(0,1,2,5,6,7,8,9,10,14)
• No need for comparisons
– (1) Terms in nonadjacent group
– (2) Terms in the same group
Group 0 0 0000

Group 1 1 0001
2 0010
8 1000

Group 2 5 0101
6 0110
9 1001
10 1010

Group 3 7 0111 Chap 6 C-H 3

14 1110
Comparison of adjacent
groups
– Use X + X = X repeatedly between adjacent
groups
– Those combined are checked off.
– Combine terms that have the same dashes and
differ one in the number of 1’s. (for column II and
column III)

Chap 6 C-H 4
 Prime Implicants
• The terms that have not been
checked off are called prime
implicants.
f = 0-01 + 01-1+011- + -00-
+ -0-0 + --10
= a’c’d + a’bd + a’bc + b’c’ +
b’d’ + cd’
• Each term has a minimum number of
literals, but minimum SOP for f:
f = a’bd + b’c’ + cd’
(a’bd, cd’ => a’bc)
(a’bd, b’c’ => a’c’d)
(b’c’, cd’ => b’d’)

Chap 6 C-H 5
Definition of Implicant
– Definition
• Given a function of F of n variables,
a product term P is an implicant of F
iff for every combination of values
of the n variables for which P = 1, F
is also equal to 1.
– Every minterm of F is an implicant of F.
– Any term formed by combining two or
more minterms is an implicant.
– If F is written in SOP form, every
product term is an implicant.
– Example: f(a,b,c) = a’b’c’ + ab’c’
+ ab’c + abc = b’c’ + ac
– If a’b’c’ = 1, then F = 1, if ac = 1, then
F = 1. a’b’c’ and ac are implicants.
– If bc = 1, (but a = 0), F = 0, so bc is not
an implicant of F.

Chap 6 C-H 6
Definition of Prime Implicant
– Definition
• A prime implicant of a function F is
a product term implicant which is no
longer an implicant if any literal is
deleted from it.
• Example: f(a,b,c) = a’b’c’ + ab’c’ +
ab’c + abc = b’c’ + ac
– Implicant a’b’c’ is not a prime
implicant. Why? If a’ is deleted, b’c’ is
still an implicant of F.
– b’c’ and ac are prime implicants.
• Each prime implicant of a function
has a minimum number of literals
that no more literals can be
eliminated from it or by combining
it with other terms.

Chap 6 C-H 7
 Quine McClusky
Procedure
• QM procedure:
– Find all product term implicants
of a function
– Combine non-prime implicants.
• Remaining terms are prime
implicants.
– A minimum SOP expression consists of
a sum of some (not necessarily all) of
the prime implicants of that function.
• We need to select a minimum set of prime
implicants.
– If an SOP expression contains a term
which is not a prime implicant, the SOP
cannot be minimum.

Chap 6 C-H 8
 Prime Implicant Chart

• Chart layout
– Top row lists minterms of the function
– All prime implicants are listed on the left side.
– Place x into the chart according to the minterms that
form the corresponding prime implicant.
• Essential prime implicant
– If a minterm is covered only by one prime implicant,
that prime implicant is called essential prime
implicant. (9 & 14).
» Essential prime implicant must be included in
the minimum sum of the function.

Chap 6 C-H 9
Selection of Prime
Implicants
 Cross out the row of the selected essential
prime implicants
 The columns which correspond to the
minterms covered by the selected prime
implicants are also crossed out.
 Select a prime implicant that covers the
remaining columns. This prime implicant is
not essential.

Chap 6 C-H 10
A Cyclic Prime Implicant
Chart
• Two or more X’s in every column.
• F = m(0,1,2,5,6,7)
– F = a’b’ + bc’ + ac. (by try and error). No
guarantee for this to be minimum.

0 000 All checked 0,1 00-

1 001 off 0,2 0-0
2 010 1,5 -01
5 101 2,6 -10
6 110 5,7 1-1
7 111 6,7 11-

Chap 6 C-H 11
 Another Solution

• F = a’c’ + b’c + ab
• Each minterm is covered by two
different prime implicants.

Chap 6 C-H 12
 Petrick’s Method
• A more systematic way to find all minimum
solutions from a prime implicant chart.
• P is True when all the minterms in the chart
have been covered. P = f (P1, P2, …)
• Label each row with Pi.
– Pi is true when the prime implicant in row Pi is
included in the solution.
– For column 0, we must choose either P1 or P2
in order to cover minterm 0. Thus (P1 + P2)
must be true.

Chap 6 C-H 13
Petrick’s Method (cont.)
• For column 0, we must choose either P1 or P2
in order to cover minterm 0. Thus (P1 + P2)
must be true.
• To cover minterm 1, P1 + P3 must be true, and
etc.
• P = (P1+P2)(P1+P3)(P2+P4)(P3+P5)(P4+P6)(P5+P6) =
1
• This means: We must choose row P1 or P2, and row
P1 or P3, and row P2 or P4, etc.

Chap 6 C-H 14
 Petrick’s Method (cont.)

• Then we simplify
P = (P1+P2)(P1+P3)(P2+P4)(P3+P5)(P4+P6)(P5+P6)
= (P1 + P2P3)(P4 + P2P6)( (P5 +P3P6);
(X+Y)(X+Z) = X +YZ)

= (P1P4+ P1P2P6 + P2P3P4 + P2P3P6)(P5 + P3P6)

= P1P4P5 + P1P2P5P6 + P2P3P4P5 + P1P3P4P6 + P2P3P6
In other words, for P = 1 (to cover all minterms), we must
choose row P1 and P4 and P5 or row P1and P2 and P5 and
P6 or etc ….

There are five to choose. We choose P1P4P5 or P2P3P6.

Chap 6 C-H 15
Simplification of Incompletely
Specified Functions
• An incompletely specified function

Chap 6 C-H 16
Simplification Using Map-
Entered Variables

– Extend K-map for more variables.

– When E appears in a square, if E = 1, then
the corresponding minterm is present in the
function G.
– G (A,B,C,D,E,F) = m0 + m2 + m3 + Em5 +
Em7+ Fm9 + m11 + m15 + (don’t care terms)

Chap 6 C-H 17
Map-Entered Variable
• F(A,B,C,D) = A’B’C + A’BC + A’BC’D +
ABCD + (AB’C), (don’t care)
– Choose D as a map-entered variable.
– When D = 0, F = A’C (Fig. a)
– When D = 1, F = C + A’B (Fig. b)
» two 1’s are changed to x’s since they are
covered in Fig. a.
• F = A’C + D(C+A’B) = A’C + CD + A’BD

Chap 6 C-H 18
 General View for Map-
Entered Variable Method

• Given a map with variables P1, P2

etc, entered into some of the squares,
the minimum SOP form of F is as
follows:
• F = MS0 + P1 MS1 + P2MS2 + …
where
– MS0 is minimum sum obtained by
setting P1 = P2 .. =0
– MS1 is minimum sum obtained by
setting P1 = 1, Pj = 0 (j  1), and
replacing all 1’s on the map with don’t
cares.

– Previously, G = A’B’ + ACD +

EA’D + FAD.

Chap 6 C-H 19