NAND and NOR Logic Gate Circuits

Objective
At the end of the activity you should be able to:

create NAND and NOR gate circuits using AND, OR and NOT gate circuits;
compare the output signals of these two logic gates; and
determine from the observation the truth tables of these two logic gates.

Background Information
Logic gates perform basic logical functions and are the fundamental building
blocks of digital integrated circuits. It is an idealized or physical device implementing a
Boolean function, that is, it performs a logical operation on one or more logic inputs and
produces a single logic output. (1) Logic gates are primarily implemented electronically
using diodes or transistors, but can also be constructed using electromagnetic relays
(relay logic), fluidic logic, pneumatic logic, optics, molecules, or even mechanical
elements. With amplification, logic gates can be cascaded in the same way that
Boolean functions can be composed, allowing the construction of a physical model of all
of Boolean logic, and therefore, all of the algorithms and mathematics that can be
described with Boolean logic. (2) (3)

AND gate

The AND gate is an electronic circuit that gives a high output (1) only if all its inputs are
high.
* A dot () is used to show the AND operation i.e. AB. Note that the dot is sometimes
omitted i.e. AB
OR gate

The OR gate is an electronic circuit that gives a high output (1) if one or more of its
inputs are high.
*A plus (+) is used to show the OR operation.
NOT gate

The NOT gate is an electronic circuit that produces an inverted version of the
input at its output. It is also known as an inverter. If the input variable is A, the
inverted output is known as NOT A. This is also shown as A', or A with a bar over
the top, as shown at the outputs. The diagrams below show two ways that the
NAND logic gate can be configured to produce a NOT gate. It can also be done
using NOR logic gates in the same way.

NAND gate

This is a NOT-AND gate which is equal to an AND gate followed by a NOT

gate. The outputs of all NAND gates are high if any of the inputs are low.
The symbol is an AND gate with a small circle on the output. The small
circle represents inversion.
NOR gate

This is a NOT-OR gate which is equal to an OR gate followed by a NOT gate. The
outputs of all NOR gates are low if any of the inputs are high.The symbol is an OR gate
with a small circle on the output. The small circle represents inversion.
Materials

AND, OR and NOT gate circuits

9V DC power supply
Connecting wires

Procedure
Prepare the AND, OR and NOT gate circuits.
A. NAND Gate Circuit
1. Using the AND and NOT gates, connect the output terminal X of the AND
gate to the input terminal A of the NOT gate as shown in the figure.
1K

10K

A
X
GND

2SC1815

A
10K
NOT
Gate

AND
Gate

GND

2. The input A and B of the AND gate will serve as the input terminal of the
NAND gate and the output terminal of the NOT gate will serve as the output
terminal of the NAND gate.
1K
A

10K

2SC1815
B
10K

GND

GND

NAND

3. Connect the terminal A and B to a high voltage and observe what happened
to the output. After that connect the two terminals to a low voltage and
observe also.

4. Connect the terminal A to a high voltage and the terminal B to a low voltage
and observe what happened to the output.
5. Repeat the observation but this time connect the terminal A to a low voltage
and the terminal B to a high voltage.\

B. NOR Gate Circuit

1. Using the OR and NOT gates, connect the output terminal X of the OR gate
to the input terminal A of the NOT gate as shown in the figure.
9V

9V
1K
X

A
X

2SC1815

A
10K

10K

GND

GND
NOT
Gate

OR

2. The input A and B of the OR gate will serve as the input terminal of the NOR
gate and the output terminal of the NOT gate will serve as the output terminal
of the NOR gate.
9V
1K

9V
A

2SC1815
10K

GND

GND
NOR
Gate

3. Connect the terminal A and B to a high voltage and observe what happened
to the output. After that, connect the two terminals to a low voltage and
observe also.
4. Connect the terminal A to a high voltage and the terminal B to a low voltage
and observe what happened to the output.

5. Repeat the observation but this time connect the terminal A to a low voltage
and the terminal B to a high voltage.

Guide Question
A. NAND Gate Circuit
1. What happened to the output (LED bulb) when the two terminals A and B
are connected to a high voltage? ______________________________
_________________________________________________________.
2. What happened to the output (LED bulb) when the two terminals A and B
are connected to a low voltage? _______________________________
_________________________________________________________.
3. What happened to the output (LED bulb) when terminal A is connected to
a high voltage and the terminal B is connected to a low voltage? ______
_________________________________________________________.
4. What happened to the output (LED bulb) when terminal A is connected to
a low voltage and the terminal B is connected to a high voltage? ______
_________________________________________________________.

B. NOR Gate Circuit

1. What happened to the output (LED bulb) when the two terminals A and B
are connected to a high voltage? ______________________________
_________________________________________________________.
2. What happened to the output (LED bulb) when the two terminals A and B
are connected to a low voltage? _______________________________
_________________________________________________________.
3. What happened to the output (LED bulb) when terminal A is connected to
a high voltage and the terminal B is connected to a low voltage? ______
_________________________________________________________.
4. What happened to the output (LED bulb) when terminal A is connected to
a low voltage and the terminal B is connected to a high voltage? ______
_________________________________________________________.

Based on your observation, create the truth table of these two logic gate circuits.

INPUT
A

1
1
0
0

1
0
1
0

TRUTH TABLE
NAND

NOR

AB

A-B

REFERENCES:
(1) http://www.saylor.org/site/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/logic-gate.pdf
(Jaeger, Microelectronic Circuit Design, McGraw-Hill 1997, ISBN 0-07-032482-4,
pp. 226-233)
(2) http://www.ee.surrey.ac.uk/Projects/CAL/digital-logic/gatesfunc/index.html
(3) http://williams.comp.ncat.edu/COMP370/LogicGates.pdf

Philippine Normal University

Taft Avenue, Manila City
Faculty of Science, Technology and Mathematics

NAND and NOR Logic Gate Circuits

Submitted by:
Escandor, Mary Joy S.
Quimson, Jerrie-Marie Q.
Surabia, Jerrel Ann M.

Submitted to:
Prof. Abel Ole