Application on the ideas of logical equivalence:

SWITCHING NETWORKS
 ✢ A switching network is made up of wires and switches connecting two terminals T1 and T2 .
✢ In such a network, each switch is either open (0), so that no current flows through it, or closed (1),
so that current does flow through it.
✢ Figure (a) is a network with one switch, while Figure (b) and (c) are networks that contain two
(independent) switches.

p p q
T1 T2 T1 T2 T1 T2

(a) (b) (c)

✢ For network (b), current flows from T1 to T2 if either the switches p or q is closed. We call this a
parallel network and represented by p  q.
✢ For network (c), current flows from T1 to T2 if both switches p and q are closed. We call this a series
network and represented by p  q.

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 EXAMPLE 2.17

p
p p p

q t ~t T1 T2
T1 T2 t

r ~q r r

~q

(a) (b)

✢ Network (a) is represented by the statement ( p  q  r )  ( p  t  ~ q )  ( p ~ t  r ) .

✢ Network (b) is represented by the statement p  r  ( t  ~ q )  .
✢ Using the Law of Logic, you can verify that ( p  q  r )  ( p  t  ~ q )  ( p ~ t  r ) is logically equivalent to
p  r  ( t  ~ q ) .

3
 LET’S TRY !

Write the statements that represent the following networks:

~r

p q p p r t

~q

p q
T1 T2 T1 T2
r

t ~q
p q ~r t

~r

(1) (2)

4
 EXAMPLE 2.18

Draw the switching network that represents the statement:

( p  q )  ( ~ p  ( p ~ q ) )  ( q  ~ r )
Answer :

p q

~p

T1 T2
p ~q

~r

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 EXAMPLE 2.19

Draw the switching network that represents the statement:

 p  ( p  q )  ( p  q  ~ r )  ( p  r  t )  t 

Answer :

p p r t

p q
T1 T2

p q ~r t

6
 LET’S TRY !

Draw the switching network that represents the following statements:

(1) ( p  ~ r )  ( q  ( r  ~ p ) )   ( ~ q  q  p )
 

(2) q  ( p ~ r )  ( r  q )  ( p  q )  ~ p 