Digital Systems

SYEN 3330 Digital Systems Jung H. Kim Chapter 2-5 1

Three-Variable Maps
• Reduced literal product terms for SOP standard
forms correspond to rectangles on K-maps
containing cell counts that are powers of 2.
• Rectangles of 2 cells represent 2 adjacent
minterms; of 4 cells represent 4 minterms that
form a “pairwise adjacent” ring.
• Rectangles can be in many different positions on
the K-map since adjacencies are not confined to
cells truly next to each other.

SYEN 3330 Digital Systems Chapter 2-5 2

Three-Variable Maps
• Topological warps of 3-variable K-maps
that show all adjacencies:
 Venn Diagram  Cylinder

0 4 X
6 7 5
Y 3 1Z
2

SYEN 3330 Digital Systems Chapter 2-5 3

Three-Variable Maps
• Example Shapes of Rectangles:
Y Y
0 1 3 2
X

4 5 7 6
X

Z Z Z

SYEN 3330 Digital Systems Chapter 2-5 4

Three Variable Maps
K-Maps can be used to simplify Boolean functions by
systematic methods. Terms are selected to cover the
"ones" in the map.
Example: Simplify F(x,y,z) =  m(1,2,3,5,7)

SYEN 3330 Digital Systems F(x,y,z) = x y+ z Chapter 2-5 5

Three-Variable Map Simplification
• F(X,Y,Z) = (0,1,2,4,6,7)

SYEN 3330 Digital Systems Chapter 2-5 6

Four Variable Maps
y y
m0 m1 m3 m2 w'x'y'z' w'x'y'z w'x'yz' w'x'yz'

m4 m5 m7 m6 w'xy'z' w'xy'z w'xyz w'xyz'

x x
m12 m13 m15 m14 wxy'z' wxy'z wxyz wxyz'

w m m m m w wx'y'z' wx'y'z wx'yz wx'yz'

8 9 11 10

z z

SYEN 3330 Digital Systems Chapter 2-5 7

Four Variable Terms

• Four variable maps can have terms of:

 Single one = 4 variables, (i.e. Minterm)
 Two ones = 3 variables,
 Four ones = 2 variables
 Eight ones = 1 variable,
 Sixteen ones = zero variables (i.e. Constant "1")

SYEN 3330 Digital Systems Chapter 2-5 8

Four-Variable Maps
• Example Shapes of Rectangles:
Y Y
0 1 3 2
X
W
4 5 7 6

12 13 15 14 X

W 11 10
8 9 X

Z Z Z
SYEN 3330 Digital Systems Chapter 2-5 9
Four-Variable Map Simplification
• F(W,X,Y,Z) = (0, 2,4,5,6,7,8,10,13)

SYEN 3330 Digital Systems Chapter 2-5 10

Four-Variable Map Simplification
• F(W,X,Y,Z) = (3,4,5,7,13,14,15)

SYEN 3330 Digital Systems Chapter 2-5 11

 Systematic Simplification
•A Prime Implicant is a product term obtained by combining the
maximum possible number of adjacent squares in the map.
•A prime implicant is called an Essential Prime Implicant if it is
the only prime implicant that covers (includes) one or more
minterms.
•Prime Implicants and Essential Prime Implicants can be
determined by inspection of the K-Map.
•A set of prime implicants that "covers all minterms" means
that, for each minterm of the function, there is at least one
prime implicant in the selected set of prime implicants that
includes the minterm.
SYEN 3330 Digital Systems Chapter 2-5 12
Example of Prime Implicants
Example: F(ABCD) =  m(0,2,3,5,7,8,9,10,11,13,15)

Find ALL Prime Implicants

ESSENTIAL Prime Implicants

SYEN 3330 Digital Systems Chapter 2-5 13

Prime Implicant Practice
• F(A,B,C,D) = (0,2,3,8,9,10,11,12,13,14,15)

SYEN 3330 Digital Systems Chapter 2-5 14

 (No Don’t
Systematic Approach Cares)
(See Supplement 1)
1. Select all Essential PI’s
2. Find and delete all Less Than PI’s
3. Repeat 1) and 2) until all minterms are covered

If Cycles Occur:
4. Arbitrarily select a PI and generate a cover.
5. Delete the selected PI and generate a new cover
6. Select the cover with fewer literals
7. If a new cycle appears, repeat steps 4), 5), and 6) and
compare all solutions for the best.
SYEN 3330 Digital Systems Chapter 2-5 15
 Other PI Selection
Once the Essential Prime Implicants are selected, we need to
"prune" the solution set further. To do this, we determine
which can be eliminated by finding Less Than PIs and
Redundant PIs. PIi is said to be Less Than PIj if PIi contains
Less Than PIs: at least as many literals as PIj and PIj covers
at least all of the as yet uncovered minterms
that PIi covers.
Secondary Once the less than PIs are removed from
Essential PIs: consideration, new PIs become essential
and they are called Secondary Essential
PIs.
These are PIs whose minterms have been
Redundant PIs: completely covered by the PIs selected and
are removed from consideration.
SYEN 3330 Digital Systems Chapter 2-5 16
Example 2 from Supplement 1
Select Essential PIs: Eliminate Less Than Pis:

SYEN 3330 Digital Systems Chapter 2-5 17

Example 2 (Continued)
Select Secondary Eliminate Redundant PIs:
Essential PIs:

SYEN 3330 Digital Systems Chapter 2-5 18

Another Example
• G(A,B,C,D) =  (0,2,3,4,7,12,13,14,15)

SYEN 3330 Digital Systems Chapter 2-5 19

Five Variable or More K-Maps
For five variable problems, we use two adjacent K-Maps. It
becomes harder to visualize adjacent minterms for selecting
PIs. You can extend the problem to six variables by using four
K-Maps.

SYEN 3330 Digital Systems Chapter 2-5 20

 Don't Cares in K-Maps
• Sometimes a function table contains entries for which it is known the
input values will never occur. In these cases, the output value need
not be defined. By placing a “don't care” in the function table, it may
be possible to arrive at a lower cost logic circuit.
• “Don't cares” are usually denoted with an "x" in the K-Map or
function table.
• Example of “Don't Cares” - A logic function defined on 4-bit
variables encoded as BCD digits where the four-bit input variables
never exceed 9, base 2. Symbols 1010, 1011, 1100, 1101, 1110, and
1111 will never occur. Thus, we DON'T CARE what the function
value is for these combinations.
• “Don't cares“are used in minimization procedures in such a way that
they may ultimately take on either a 0 or 1 value in the result.
SYEN 3330 Digital Systems Chapter 2-5 21
 Example: BCD “5 or More”
A function F1(w,x,y,z) which is defined as "5 or greater" over a
BCD input, as below. Don't cares are on non-BCD values.
F1(w,x,y,z) = w + x z + x y
This is slightly lower in cost than F2
where the don't cares are required to be
"0".
F2(w,x,y,z) = w x z + w x y + wxy
For this particular function, note that
the literal cost of the complement of
F1(w,x,y,z), meaning "4 or less", is not
changed by using the don't cares.
SYEN 3330 Digital Systems Chapter 2-5 22
Product of Sums Example
• F(A,B,C,D) =  (3,9,11,12,13,14,15) +
d (1,4,6)
F

SYEN 3330 Digital Systems Chapter 2-5 23