BooleanAlgebra

Introduction
LawsofBooleanAlgebra

l
l
l
l
l
l

CommutativeLaw
AssociativeLaw
DistributiveLaw
IdentityLaw
RedundanceLaw
DeMorgan'sTheorem
Examples
Problems

OnlineQuiz

Introduction
ThemostobviouswaytosimplifyBooleanexpressionsistomanipulatetheminthesamewayasnormalalgebraicexpressionsaremanipulated.Withregardstologic
relationsindigitalforms,asetofrulesforsymbolicmanipulationisneededinordertosolvefortheunknowns.
AsetofrulesformulatedbytheEnglishmathematicianGeorgeBooledescribecertainpropositionswhoseoutcomewouldbeeithertrueorfalse.Withregardtodigital
logic,theserulesareusedtodescribecircuitswhosestatecanbeeither,1(true)or0(false).Inordertofullyunderstandthis,therelationbetweentheANDgate,OR
gateandNOTgateoperationsshouldbeappreciated.AnumberofrulescanbederivedfromtheserelationsasTable1demonstrates.
l
l
l
l
l
l
l

P1:X=0orX=1
P2:0.0=0
P3:1+1=1
P4:0+0=0
P5:1.1=1
P6:1.0=0.1=0
P7:1+0=0+1=1

Table1:BooleanPostulates

LawsofBooleanAlgebra
Table2showsthebasicBooleanlaws.Notethateverylawhastwoexpressions,(a)and(b).Thisisknownasduality.TheseareobtainedbychangingeveryAND(.)to
OR(+),everyOR(+)toAND(.)andall1'sto0'sandviceversa.
Ithasbecomeconventionaltodropthe.(ANDsymbol)i.e.A.BiswrittenasAB.
T1:CommutativeLaw
(a)A+B=B+A
(b)AB=BA
T2:AssociateLaw
(a)(A+B)+C=A+(B+C)
(b)(AB)C=A(BC)
T3:DistributiveLaw
(a)A(B+C)=AB+AC
(b)A+(BC)=(A+B)(A+C)
T4:IdentityLaw
(a)A+A=A
(b)AA=A
T5:
(a)

(b)

T6:RedundanceLaw

(a)A+AB=A
(b)A(A+B)=A
T7:
(a)0+A=A
(b)0A=0
T8:
(a)1+A=1
(b)1A=A
T9:
(a)
(b)

T10:
(a)

(b)

T11:DeMorgan'sTheorem
(a)

(b)

Table2:BooleanLaws

Examples
ProveT10:(a)

(1)Algebraically:

(2)Usingthetruthtable:

Usingthelawsgivenabove,complicatedexpressionscanbesimplified.

Problems
(a)ProveT10(b).
(b)CopyorprintoutthetruthtablebelowanduseittoproveT11:(a)and(b).

Clickhereforanswers.

ClickhereforonlineBooleanAlgebraquiz.

Tosubmityourquestionsandqueriespleaseclickhere:
ComposedbyDavidBeltonApril98