EXPLORATION

MATHEMATICS HIGHER LEVEL

Title: Exploring the usage of Boolean algebra in Minecraft

by creation of a ripple carry adder.

Exam Session: May 2015

School Name: UWC Mahindra College of India

Name: Aditya Karan

Candidate Number: 000969 0039

 Introduction

Video games have been an interest of mine since I was a very young child. I have grown up
playing video games, and have throughout my childhood played a large number of games
across numerous genres which were intrinsic to my development as an individual. I noticed that
over the years, the assimilation of information and experiences that I later associated with
video games were primarily subtle and hidden.

This changed entirely when I was first introduced Minecraft in 2014. Minecraft is a
sandbox game that hands the power to create to the player. By manipulating the placement of
blocks with various properties in a three dimensional grid, the player is capable of creating a
seemingly infinite variety of constructions. The game is based around survival in the wilderness
and the player can obtain resources by interfacing with the environment using certain tools,
and manipulating these resources to create relatively complex structures. The most interesting
notion in Minecraft is the idea that only basic parameters such as the properties of blocks are
defined by the game while the possibility for creation is only otherwise limited by the creativity
of the player and processing power of the system running the game. The player-base constantly
pushes the limits of the game and promotes innovation while pushing constructions into the
game that beyond their ability to innovate, also impart conceptual understanding through
hands on, practical means.

My interest in computing grew from my attachment to video games but I had, for the most
part, no access to any materials through which I may have created circuits to understand the
basics of computing. My introduction to Minecraft changed this, as with a little bit of
innovation, the game allowed me to explore circuitry for no additional cost, using only the
game itself.

Boolean algebra is the tool I will be using for this exploration. Boolean algebra is defined as the
“study of mathematical operations performed on certain variables (called binary variables) that
can have only two values: true (represented by 1) or false (represented by 0). It provides a set
of rules (called Boolean logic) that are indispensable in digital computer-circuit and switching-
circuit design. Boolean operation are carried out with algebraic operators (called Boolean
operators), the most basic of which are NOT, AND, and OR. Named after its inventor, the UK
mathematician and computer pioneer George Boole (1815-65)”.1
This exploration is an attempt to utilize concepts from Boolean algebra within the scope of
Minecraft to create a device that is capable of carrying out the addition of two numbers
entered as binary inputs. This will be done by exploring some fundamental aspects of Boolean
algebra and using these concepts to create a ripple carry adder, an instrument capable of
adding two 4-bit binary numbers.
Minecraft:

Minecraft is at its core a game about breaking, crafting and placing blocks with various
properties in a three dimensional grid. Each block, for the most part, may only occupy one spot
in the grid, which includes objects in the game that are not cubes, but are still defined as blocks
within the game such as torches, levers etc. Minecraft has over the years garnered a
community of players that push the limits of what may be possible using objects and mechanics
within the game.

Minecraft contains a certain class of objects within the game, referred to Redstone and
Redstone devices that may be utilized to simulate the flow of current and create circuits that
are analogous to electrical devices that we may encounter in our everyday life. The following
are Redstone related blocks essential to the construction of the circuits described further in the
exploration:

Redstone: Redstone is an ore that can be mined within the game. It is analogous to wires in real
life, and may be used to carry a “current” in the game world by transmitting their “powered”
state to adjacent blocks in the direction of flow of the current.. Redstone blocks are closely
similar to current conducting wires, except for the fact that they do not need to be part of a
closed and complete circuit to carry current. They can be in two states, a powered, or an
unpowered state, which is dependent on the blocks that they are adjacent to, and whether
they are capable of supplying power to the wire.

Redstone and Redstone wire in schematics:

Redstone Redstone wire

Lever: A lever is a Redstone device that can be used to power adjacent blocks, and therefore
induce a current in adjacent Redstone wire. A lever simply has an on and off state. In a circuit,
an input lever in the on state passes an input of (1) and a lever in the off state passes an input
(0).

Lever in schematics:

ON OFF
position position
Torch: A Redstone torch is a device that may be used to power a circuit. It also has the property
of being capable of inverting any input when used in conjunction with a regular powerable
block.

Powered and unpowered Powered Redstone torch placed

Redstone torches placed on a adjacent to a “generic” block.
“generic” block.

Blocks: There are a large variety of generic blocks in Minecraft with simulated properties of
wood, stone, steel etc. Within the framework of the game, some blocks may interact in specific
ways with Redstone, but for the purpose of this exploration, all blocks not described above will
be considered to be generic blocks (light gray color in schematics), with a property common to
most blocks in Minecraft. Most blocks in Minecraft may be activated if placed next to powered
Redstone or another device capable of inducing a current, and will transmit power to all blocks
adjacent to them. This property allows for the creation of the NOT gate, fundamental to most
circuit designs in Minecraft.
Basic operations: The following are basic operations in Boolean algebra, their respective logic
gates (the manner in which the operation is graphically represented in a circuit) and the logic
gates recreated in Minecraft.

There are three fundamental operations in Boolean algebra; each one defined over the set {1,0}
by use of a truth table, with a corresponding logic gate.

AND

The AND (∧) operator is defined such that, for A ∧ B = Y, only if both A and B are equal to one,
Y equals 1. In every other case, Y is 0.

The operator may be expressed as,

A ∧ B = 1 if A=B=1. For all other pairs of A and B, A ∧ B = Y = 0.

Table 1.0: Truth table for the AND operator.

A B A∧B
=Y
0 0 0
0 1 0
1 0 0
1 1 1

The AND logic gate, which symbolizes the ∧ operator in a circuit diagram is drawn as
follows;

A∧B
A

The figure is read from left to right. The two lines entering the gate symbolize the inputs A and
B while the line exiting the gate symbolizes the output, Y.
The AND gate may be created using the following design in Minecraft using the properties of a
Redstone torch. In the following diagram, if either one of the levers is switched off, either torch
T1 or T2 powers Redstone wire R1, resulting in no output. Therefore, the following gate only
gives an output of 1 if both levers are switched on.

T1
R1

T2

OR

The OR (∨) operator is defined such that, for A ∨ B = Y, if either A or B equals 1, then Y will
equal 1. Only if both A and B are equal 0, will Y equal 0.

Therefore, the ∨ operator may be expressed as,

A ∧ B = 0 if A=B=0. For all other pairs of A and B, A∨B = Y = 1.

Table 1.1: Truth table for the OR operator.

A B A∨B
=Y
0 0 0
0 1 1
1 0 1
1 1 1

The OR logic gate, which symbolizes the ∨ operator in a circuit diagram is drawn as
follows;

A∨B
A

B
The OR gate in Minecraft can be created from the following design. It is simple as if either or
both of the levers are in the “ON” position, the gate will output a signal of one, since the
Redstone will light up if adjacent blocks are powered on.

NOT

The final fundamental operator, the NOT (¬) operator, is defined over a single input, and simply
inverts the input value. Therefore if A=1, ¬ A = 0 and if A=0 ¬A = 1.

Table 1.2: Truth table for the NOT operator.

A ¬ A =Y
1 0
0 1

The NOT logic gate, which symbolizes the ¬ operator in a circuit diagram is drawn as
follows;

A ¬A
The NOT gate in Minecraft is essentially a Redstone torch connected to block, due to which, as
defined by the mechanics of the game, the torch inverts a signal passed into the block. Thus any
signal A input into the gate will result in output ¬A.

Complex operators

Using the fundamental operators described above, we can set out to create more complicated
circuit components, i.e. logic gates that are defined as operators. A vast number of these
operators exist, but for the purpose of this exploration only the XOR operator is essential.

XOR

The XOR (⊕) operator, sometimes referred to as EXOR is abbreviated to Exclusive OR. The XOR
operator is defined such that,

for A ⊕ B = Y,

if A=1 or B=1 and A ¬ = B, then Y = 1. For all other pairs of A and B, Y=0.

Table 1.3: Truth table for the XOR operator.

A B A⊕B
=Y
0 0 0
0 1 1
1 0 1
1 1 0

Most importantly, the XOR operator is not a fundamental operator, it is in fact a composition of
previously described fundamental operators, and can be described as follows:

A ⊕ B = (A ∧ ¬B) ∨ (B ∧ ¬A)

Proof of statement

To be capable of proving the above statement, first, a Karnough map will have to be defined.

A Karnough map is a “diagram consisting of a rectangular array of squares, each representing a

different combination of the variables of a Boolean function”.2 it is a manner of organizing a
truth table such that relationships between variables result in easily observable patterns.

The above expression is derived from the Karnough map of the XOR truth table (Table 1.4),
which is the following.

Let the above map represent the function Y.

The Karnough map indicates that there are two possible combinations of the inputs A and B
that return a high value, i.e. 1. This occurs when A=1 and B=0 or A=0 and B=1.(The cases
highlighted in blue)

This means,

When A=1 and B=0, Y=1. Which means when A=1 and ¬B=1, Y=1. This may
be written as (A ∧ ¬B) = 1.

Similarly, Y=1 when A=0 and B=1, which means when ¬A=1 and B=1, Y=1. This
may be written as (¬A ∧ B) = 1.

The function returns 1 when either of the above statements is true,

Therefore the Boolean expression for the function is Y = (A ∧ ¬B) ∨ (B ∧ ¬A)

The XOR logic gate, which symbolizes the ⊕ operator in a circuit diagram is drawn as
follows;

A⊕B
B

The circuit diagram may also be draw using fundamental operators using
the derived expression A ⊕ B = (A ∧ ¬B) ∨ (B ∧ ¬A);

A B

A⊕B

The XOR gate may be recreated by substituting the gates in the above diagram with their
Minecraft counterparts.
A

A⊕B

B
The binary adder:

The adder, also referred to as a summer, is a circuit that performs addition of given input
values. The adder is therefore essentially a representation of the addition (+) operator, and
therefore the circuit can be formulated as done previously as with the XOR operator, by use of
a truth table.

Half-adder

The half adder is a highly simplified adder that only accepts 2 bits of input, in this case A and B,
giving A+B as the output. Before a truth table is designed, we can make a simple observation.
By assigning A = 1 and B = 1 as input values, by simple arithmetic, we can observe that A+B= 10,
where 10 is 2 bits of information. For the half-adder to be capable of displaying this
information, it has to be capable of returning 2 bits as output, and thus, for the truth table, two
output variables, Y and C are defined, where Y is the sum and C is the Carry. For the above
example, Cout = 1 and Y = 0.

The reason that the second bit is denoted as the carry is that when a full adder is constructed,
the Cout value is passed on to be added by the subsequent half adder. The concept will be
illustrated clearly when the full adder is discussed.

Table 2.0: Truth table for a half adder:

A B Cout Y
0 0 0 0
0 1 0 1
1 0 0 1
1 1 1 0

From the above truth table, expressions for Cout and Y can be derived by comparison with

exactly as in Table 1.0 for A ∧ B. Similarly the relationship between A and B that results in
previously described logic gates. The relationship between A and B that results in output C out is

output Y is exactly as in Table 1.3 for A ⊕ B.

Therefore the expressions for Cout and Y are,

Cout = A ∧ B and Y = A ⊕ B.
These expressions may be used to design a circuit using an AND gate and an XOR that, by
inputting 2 bits of information, (A,B), two bits of information, (C,Y) are returned that are equal
to A+B.

Circuit design

A
Y
B

Cout

The following is the schematic for a half-adder created in Minecraft by substituting the logic
gates in the above diagram with their Minecraft counterparts.

XOR gate: It is
Y important to make
sure that the inputs
line up during
construction

Cout
A full adder is an adder that is capable of receiving 3 bits of input and returning their sum in as
2 bits, and is essentially composed of two half-adders. The additional input bit is the C in bit that
represents a bit carried over from a previous operation. The Cin is essential when larger
numbers are added, during which the Cout of one adder is the Cin for the successive adder. The
full adder accepts A,B and Cin as inputs and returns A + B + C in terms of the bits Y and Cout.

Table 2.1: Truth table for a full adder:

A B Cin Cout Y
0 0 0 0 0
0 0 1 0 1
0 1 0 0 1
0 1 1 1 0
1 0 0 0 1
1 0 1 1 0
1 1 0 1 0
1 1 1 1 1

From the truth table, the Karnough maps for output Y is;

From the Karnough map, the following expression may be derived;

Y = (¬A ∧ ¬B ∧ Cin) ∨ (¬A ∧ B ∧ ¬Cin) ∨ (A ∧ B ∧ Cin) ∨ (A ∧ ¬B ∧ ¬Cin)

The Karnough map for output Cout is;

From the Karnough map, the following expression may be derived;

Cout = (A ∧ B) ∨ (B ∧ C) ∨ (C ∧ A)
A B Cin

Cout
The full-adder is yet again simply created by substituting the components of the above diagram
with their Minecraft counterparts.
Cin B A

Cout

Addition of larger numbers

Given two numbers A and B, each of them can be deconstructed into single bits of information.
For instance, if A = 1010, and B = 0011 then the numbers are deconstructed such that A 0 = 0,
A1= 1, A2 = 0, A3 = 1 and B0 = 1, B1= 1, B2 = 0, B3 = 0. The process of addition is analogous to
conventional addition, and each bit of A is added to its corresponding bit of B, and the C out from
the addition is added to the next set of bits. Therefore, A0 is added to B0, resulting in two
outputs, Y0 and Cout. Cout is then added to A1 + B1. The process continues in such a manner until
the two numbers are added, and the output received is Y0 , Y1, Y2 and Y3. From the above
example, Y0 =1 , Y1 =0 , Y2 = 1 ,Y3 = 1, which means Y = 1101.

The following is a graphical representation of the concept described previously which illustrated
the addition of each corresponding bit of the two numbers. The format is effective in displaying
the similarity to addition in the decimal system.

The above process of addition translated into a circuit using a half-adder and multiple full
adders. The half adder may be used to add the first two bits, i.e. A0 and B0 since there is no Cin.
In every other instance a full adder is used. For this exploration I attempt to recreate a 4-bit
ripple carry adder in Minecraft, which takes two numbers A and B as input, such that each
number may have 4-bits of information, and outputs the sum of the two numbers, A+B in
binary. The 4-bit adder uses one half-adder and three full adders connected such that the carry
(Cout) from the half-adder is passed as the Cin for the first full adder. The resulting carry from the
second full adder is passed on as input into the next adder and so forth. The following is a
diagram for a 4-bit ripple carry adder.

B3 A3 B2 A2 B1 A1 B0 A0

Full adder Full adder Full adder Half-adder

 C3 C2 C1

C4

Note: In the above diagram, C is used to represent both Cout and Cin.
A0
Y0

B0
Half-adder

A1

Y1
B1
Full-adder (1)

A2

B2 Y2 Full adder (2)

Full adder (3)

A3

B3 Y3

Cout
Note: In the above diagram, for the sake of simplicity, the inputs of the ripple carry adder and
the Carry out from the previous adder do not match the inputs of each full adder. This result in
a simpler diagram, but it should be assumed that each input displayed in the ripple carry adder
is in fact connected to the input of its corresponding full-adder.

The above schematic is the ultimate result of this exploration and represents a fully functional
ripple carry adder. The ripple carry adder receives inputs from the levers in the schematic in the
forms of 1s and 0s, which make up a number in the binary system and outputs the sum of the
two input numbers in Binary in the form of powered Redstone, representing 1, and unpowered
Redstone representing 0s.
 Conclusion

The game of Minecraft itself is highly conducive to the creation of circuits evident from the
simplicity involved in designing basic logic gates. Instead of involving complicated components,
the game hands the player a NOT gate, and subsequently makes the creation of other logic
gates very simple, which is not the same as in real life where components are relatively
expensive and extremely difficult to create from scratch, due to which Minecraft is both very
entertaining and educative in its capabilities. The major downside of the circuits described in
previous sections is that they are not optimal, that is, they use more gates than absolutely
necessary and result in a slower rate of information processing. The circuits may also not be
optimal within the Minecraft context as the game renders each block individually as they
change state when a signal is passed in a circuit, which means that they consume greater
processing power to run within the game as opposed to more compact circuits which give a
similar functionality. The lack of processing power efficiency may also be attributed to the fact
that the above circuits were built without utilizing the ability for logic gates and circuits to be be
constructed in three dimensions which further reduces the length of wiring required for the
construction of circuits, reducing the number of blocks that need to be rendered.

Over the course of this exploration I have learned considerably about Boolean algebra and
Boolean operators with respect to logical gates and their implementation in computing, while
also generally grasping the modeling of simple Boolean functions. I have also been able to apply
these concepts, in the above exploration, using limitations defined by the world of Minecraft to
design an instrument that is capable of conducting the addition of two 4-bit integers, and thus
compute data at a simplistic level.
 Bibliography

1. "What Is Boolean Algebra? Definition and Meaning." BusinessDictionary.com. Web. 2 Apr. 2015.
2. "Karnaugh Map." Academic Dictionaries and Encyclopedias. Web. 1 Apr. 2015.