What is K-Map

• It’s similar to truth table; instead of being organized

(i/p and o/p) into columns and rows, the K-map is an
array of cells in which each cell represents a binary
value of the input variables.
• The cells are arranged in a way so that simplification
of a given expression is simply a matter of properly
grouping the cells.
.
 K-Map SOP Minimization
• The K-Map is used for simplifying Boolean expressions to their
minimal form.
• A minimized SOP expression contains the fewest possible
terms with fewest possible variables per term.
• Generally, a minimum SOP expression can be implemented
with fewer logic gates than a standard expression.
 Rules of grouping -

1’s & 0’s can

not be grouped

diagonal 1’s can

not be grouped
Elements in a group should be 2n
Minimum
Groups
should be
formed

For above
rule group
Overlapping
is applicable
There should be as few groups as possible, as
long as
 Three-Variable K-Maps
f =  (0,4) = B C f =  (4,5) = A B f =  (0,1,4,5)= B f =  (0,1,2,3)= A

BC BC BC BC
A 00 01 11 10 A 00 01 11 10 A 00 01 11 10 A 00 01 11 10
0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 1 1 1 1

1 1 0 0 0 1 1 1 0 0 1 1 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 0

f =  (0,4) = A C f =  (4,6)= A C f =  (0,2) = A C f =  (0,2,4,6)= C

BC BC BC BC
A 00 01 11 10 A 00 01 11 10 A 00 01 11 10 A 00 01 11 10
0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 1

1 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 1
The 4-Variable K-Map

CD
00 01 11 10
AB
00 ABCD ABCD ABCD ABCD

01 ABCD ABCD ABCD ABCD

11 ABCD ABCD ABCD ABCD

10 ABCD ABCD ABCD ABCD

 Four-Variable K-Maps

CD CD CD CD
00 01 11 10 00 01 11 10 00 01 11 10 00 01 11 10
AB AB AB AB
00 0 0 0 0 00 0 0 1 0 00 1 0 1 0 00 0 1 0 1

01 1 1 1 1 01 0 0 1 0 01 0 1 0 1 01 1 0 1 0

11 0 0 0 0 11 0 0 1 0 11 1 0 1 0 11 0 1 0 1

10 0 0 0 0 10 0 0 1 0 10 0 1 0 1 10 1 0 1 0

f =  (0, 3,5, 6, 9,10,12,15) f =  (1,2, 4, 7,8,11,13,14)

f =  (4, 5, 6, 7) f = (3,7,11,15)

CD CD CD CD
00 01 11 10 00 01 11 10 00 01 11 10 00 01 11 10
AB AB AB AB
00 0 1 1 0 00 1 0 0 1 00 0 0 0 0 00 1 1 1 1

01 0 1 1 0 01 1 0 0 1 01 1 1 1 1 01 0 0 0 0

11 0 1 1 0 11 1 0 0 1 11 1 1 1 1 11 0 0 0 0

10 0 1 1 0 10 1 0 0 1 10 0 0 0 0 10 1 1 1 1

f = (1, 3,5,7, 9,11,13,15) f = (0,2,4,6,8,10,12,14) f = (4,5,6,7,12,13,14,15) f = (0,1,2,3,8,9,10,11)

f=D f=D f =B f=B
Determining the Minimum SOP Expression from the Map

CD
00 01 11 10 B + AC + ACD
AB
00 1 1 AC
01 1 1 1 1 B
11 1 1 1 1
AC D
10 1
Determining the Minimum SOP Expression from the Map

C C
AB 0 1 0 1
AB

00 1 00 1 1
01 1 01 1
11 1 1 11 1
10 10 1 1

AB + BC + ABC B + AC + AC
 Mapping Directly from a Truth Table
I/P O/P
A B C X C
0 0 0 1
0 1
AB
0 0 1 0
00 1
0 1 0 0
0 1 1 0 01
1 0 0 1
1 0 1 0 11 1 1
1 1 0 1
10 1
1 1 1 1
 Don’t Care Conditions
• A don’t care condition, marked by (X) in the truth
table, indicates a condition where the design doesn’t
care if the output is a (0) or a (1).
• A don’t care condition can be treated as a (0) or a (1)
in a K-Map.
• Treating a don’t care as a (0) means that you do not
need to group it.
• Treating a don’t care as a (1) allows you to make a
grouping larger, resulting in a simpler term in the SOP
equation.
 Some You Group, Some You Don’t

This don’t care condition was treated as a (1).

C C
This allowed the grouping of a single one to
AB X 0 become a grouping of two, resulting in a simpler
term.
AC AB 1 0

AB 0 0

AB X 0

There was no advantage in treating this

don’t care condition as a (1), thus it was
treated as a (0) and not grouped.
 Example
Solution:
R S T U F4

0 0 0 0 X

0 0 0 1 0
V RT
0 0 1 0 1 TU TU TU TU
0 0 1 1 X

RS X 0
0 1 0 0 0 X 1
0 1 0 1 X

0 1 1 0 X RS 0 X 1 X
0 1 1 1 1

1 0 0 0 1 RS X 0 0 0 RS
1 0 0 1 1

1 0 1 0 1 RS 1 1 X 1
1 0 1 1 X

1 1 0 0 X

1 1 0 1 0 F4 = R T + R S
1 1 1 0 0

1 1 1 1 0
Example: Design a 3-input (A,B,C) digital circuit that will give at its output

(X) a logic 1 only if the binary number formed at the input has more ones
than zeros.

Inputs Output
A B C X X = (3, 5, 6, 7)
0 0 0 0 0
1 0 0 1 0 X
BC
2 0 1 0 0 A 00 01 11 10
3 0 1 1 1 0 0 0 1 0
4 1 0 0 0 1 0 1 1 1
5 1 0 1 1
6 1 1 0 1
7 1 1 1 1 X = AC + AB +BC
A B C
 Example: Design a 4-input (A,B,C,D) digital circuit that will give at
its output (X) a logic 1 only if the binary number formed at the
input is between 2 and 9 (including).

Inputs Output
A B C D X X = (2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9)
0 0 0 0 0 0
1 0 0 0 1 0 X
2 0 0 1 0 1 CD
3 0 0 1 1 1 AB 00 01 11 10
4 0 1 0 0 1 00 0 0 1 1 Same
5 0 1 0 1 1
01 1 1 1 1
6 0 1 1 0 1
7 0 1 1 1 1 11 0 0 0 0
8 1 0 0 0 1 10 1 1 0 0
9 1 0 0 1 1
10 1 0 1 0 0
11 1 0 1 1 0
12 1 1 0 0 0
X = AC + AB + AB C
13 1 1 0 1 0
14 1 1 1 0 0
15 1 1 1 1 0 X
A B C D