Digital Logic and Design

Lecture No 18- : POS Simplification, Prime Implicant, Essential

Prime implicants

BEE-11AB, Fall 202

Dated 25 Nov 2020

By Nasir Mahmood
nasir.mahmood@seecs.edu.pk
nasirm15@gmail.com

1
,

 Working With Maxterms

● At times, we may be required to work with maxterms.
● The previous process actually worked with minterms. Remember
that the numbers used for minterms are the opposites of the
numbers used for maxterms:
● F(w, x, y, z) = ∑(0, 1, 2, 8, 9, 10, 11), uses minterms
● F(w, x, y, z) = ∏(3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 12, 13, 14, 15), uses maxterms
● If you are given minterms, fill in 1’s for the minterms and then fill the
remaining cells with 0’s
● If you are given maxterms, fill in 0’s for the maxterms and then fill
the remaining cells with 1’s
● For SOP simplification, solve the map for the 1’s
● For POS simplification, solve the map for the 0’s to get
complemented function. Taking the complement of this
complemented function we obtain function in POS form

 Another Example
Magnitude Comparator
A A A
0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 1 1

1 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 1
D D D
1 1 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0
C C C
1 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 0
B B B

K-map for LT K-map for EQ K-map for GT

LT = A' B' D + A' C + B' C D

EQ = A'B'C'D' + A'BC'D + ABCD + AB'CD’
GT = B C' D' + A C' + A B D'

 Example 3-5
● F(w,x,y,z) =
Σ(0,1,2,4,5,6,8,9,12,13,14)

● Sol:
● 1 is marked in each minterm
that represents the function
● Find the possible adjacent
squares and mark them with
rectangles
● We combine eight adjacent
squares to get a single literal
term y’
● The top two 1’s on the right
are combined with the top
two 1,son the left to give the
term w’z’
● We combine the single
square left on right with three
adjecent squares that are
already used to give the term
xz’
● The logical sum of these
three terms gives:
F = y’ + w’z’+xz’ Correction in the book:
Add 1 in the square
4

 Example 3-6
● F = A’B’C’+B’CD’+A’BCD’+AB’C’
● Sol:
● Each of three literal term in map is
represented by two squares and four
literal term in map is represented by
one square
● We combine the 1’s in the four corners
to give the term B’D’
● The two left hand 1’s in the top row
are combined with two 1’s in the
bottom row to give the term B’C’
● The remaining 1’s may be combined
in the two-square area to give the
term A’CD’
● The logical sum of these three terms
gives:
F = B’D’ + B’C’+ A’CD’

 Overview of Karnaugh Map

• Karnaugh Map
• Made up of square
• Each square represent one minter
• The variables in squares change in gray cod
• Each variable covers an area in the square
• Grouping of Squares Rules
● Every cell containing a 1 must be included at least once.
● The largest possible “power of 2 rectangle” must be enclosed.
● The 1’s must be enclosed in the smallest possible number of rectangles

● Mapping of Functions into the Karnaugh Map

● Function expressed in sum of products or sum of minterms
● Function expressed in product of sums or product of maxterms?
● Convert it to sum of minterms or sum of products form

6
?

• Prime Implicants and Essential Prime Implicants

7
 Prime Implicants

Prime implicant is a product term obtained by combining the maximum

possible number of adjacent squares in the map

If a mintem in a square is covered by only one prime implicant, that prime

implicant is said to be Essential Prime Implicant

8
9
Essential Prime Implicant

10
Essential Prime Implicant
Example
G(W,X,Y,Z)

11
The End

12