CIT 595

Boolean Algebra & Digital Logic Problems - Solution

1. Three Way Light Control Switch Problem
Assume a large room has three doors and that a switch near each door controls a light in
the room. The light is turned on or off by changing the state of any one of the switches.
More specifically, the following should happen:
1.
2.
3.
4.

The light is OFF when all three switches are open.

Closing any one switch will turn the light ON.
Then closing the second switch will have to turn OFF the light.
If the light is off when the two switches are closed, then by closing the third
switch the light will turn ON.

Open/Closed/On/Off correspondence to logic value:

Switch closed = 1
Switch open = 0

Light ON = 1
Light OFF = 0

Also assume that the three switches correspond to variable x, y, z

1. Complete the Truth Table below based on the above problem
description:

x
0
0
0
0
1
1
1
1

y
0
0
1
1
0
0
1
1

2. Write the Sum-of-Product Canonical Form Expression for the above function
xyz + xyz + xyz + xyz

3. Can the Boolean function be further reduced? Explain.

No. Kmap or Boolean Identities will not reduce it further.

4. Draw the logic diagram (with Boolean gates) from the Boolean expression.
Diagram not shown. (Require 3 AND gates each with three inputs, and output of
these going into the OR gate.

z
0
1
0
1
0
1
0
1

F
0
1
1
0
1
0
0
1

2. Verify Boolean expression below reduces to x + z by using Boolean Identities.

xy(z + z) + xy(z + z) + xz(y + y)

xy + xy + xz
x(y+y) + xz
x + xz
(x + xz) + xz
x + z(x + x)
x + z

Distributive Law
Inverse Law & Idempotance Law
Distributive Law
Inverse Law & Idempotance Law
Absorption Law
Distributive Law
Inverse Law & Idempotance Law