LOGIC GATES

What is logic gate?

A logic gate is an elementary building block of digital circuits and computer
systems. It's a physical device or an abstraction representing a function that
operates on binary inputs (0s and 1s) and produces a binary output based on a
specific logical operation.
There are several types of basic logic gates, each performing a specific logical
operation.
Logic gates are combined in various ways to perform complex logical operations
and create digital circuits.

Types of Basic Logic Gates

There are several basic logic gates used in performing operations in digital
systems. The common ones are

 OR Gate
 AND Gate
 NOT Gate
 XOR Gate
 NAND Gate
 NOR Gate
 EXOR Gate
 EXNOR Gate.

OR Gate
In an OR gate, the output of an OR gate attains state 1 if one or more inputs attain state
1.
The Boolean expression of the OR gate is Y = A + B, read as Y equals A ‘OR’ B.
The truth table of a two-input OR basic gate is given as-

A B Y

0 0 0

0 1 1

1 0 1

1 1 1

The truth table of a three-input OR basic gate will be-

A B C Y
0 0 0 0
0 0 1 1
0 1 0 1
0 1 1 1
1 0 0 1
1 0 1 1
1 1 0 1
1 1 1 1

AND Gate
In the AND gate, the output of an AND gate attains state 1 if and only if all the inputs are in state
1.
The Boolean expression of AND gate is Y = A.B

The truth table of a two-input AND basic gate is given as

A B Y

0 0 0

0 1 0

1 0 0

1 1 1

NOT Gate
In a NOT gate, the output of a NOT gate attains state 1 if and only if the input does not
attain state 1.

The Boolean expression is

It is read as Y equals NOT A.

The truth table of NOT gate is as follows

A Y

0 1

1 0

When connected in various combinations, the three gates (OR, AND, and NOT) give us basic
logic gates, such as NAND and NOR gates, which are the universal building blocks of digital
circuits.

NAND Gate
This basic logic gate is the combination of AND and NOT gates.

The Boolean expression of the NAND gate is

The truth table of a NAND gate is given as

A B Y
0 0 1

0 1 1

1 0 1

1 1 0

NOR Gate
This gate is the combination of OR and NOT gates.

The Boolean expression of the NOR gate is

The truth table of a NOR gate is as follows

A B Y

0 0 1

0 1 0

1 0 0

1 1 0
Exclusive-OR gate (XOR Gate)
In an XOR gate, the output of a two-input XOR gate attains state 1 if one adds only
input and attains state 1.

The Boolean expression of the XOR gate is

The truth table of an XOR gate is

A B Y

0 0 0

0 1 1

1 0 1

1 1 0

Exclusive-NOR Gate (XNOR Gate)

In the XNOR gate, the output is in state 1 when both inputs are the same, that is, both 0
or both 1.
The Boolean expression of the XNOR gate

The truth table of an XNOR gate is given below

A B Y

0 0 1

0 1 0

1 0 0

1 1 1

Application of Logic Gates

Logic gates have a lot of applications, but they are mainly based on their mode of
operations or their truth table. Basic logic gates are often found in circuits such as safety
thermostats, push-button locks, automatic watering systems, light-activated burglar
alarms and many other electronic devices.

One of the primary benefits is that basic logic gates can be used in various
combinations if the operations are advanced. Besides, there is no limit to the number of
gates that can be used in a single device. However, it can be restricted due to the given
physical space in the device
Important Conversions
1) The ‘NAND’ gate: From ‘AND’ and ‘NOT’ gates.

Boolean expression and truth table

Y=A.B―
A B Y′=A⋅B Y=A.B―

0 0 0 1

0 1 0 1

1 0 0 1

1 1 1 0

(2) The ‘NOR’ gate: From ‘OR’ and ‘NOT’ gates.

Boolean expression and truth table

Y=A+B―
A B Y′=A+B Y=A+B―

0 0 0 1

0 1 1 0

1 0 1 0

1 1 1 0

(3) The ‘XOR’ gate: From ‘NOT’, ‘AND’ and ‘OR’ gates.

The logic gate, which gives a high output (i.e., 1) if either input A or input B but not both
are high (i.e. 1), is called the exclusive OR gate or the XOR gate. It may be noted that if
both the inputs of the XOR gate are high, then the output is low (i.e., 0).
Boolean expression and truth table

A.B¯+A¯.B
or
Y=A⨁B
A B Y

0 0 0

0 1 1

1 0 1

1 1 0

(4) The Exclusive-nor (XNOR) gate XOR + NOT

Boolean expression

Y=(A⨁B)¯

A B Output

0 0 1

0 1 0

1 0 0

1 1 1