LOGIC GATES
-----------------------------------------------------------Objectives-------------------------------------------------------------------
At the end of this lesson students should be able to:
Recall the symbols for AND, OR, NOT, NAND,NOR logic gates;
Limited to two-input logic gates.
state the function of each gate with the aid of truth tables;
analyze circuits involving the combinations of not more than three logic gates;
Example: simple alarm circuits.
Discuss the impact of electronic and technological advances on society.
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What is a Logic Gate?
A logic gate is a digital switch that gives an output by performing operations on one or more given
inputs. Every electronic device uses logic gates
Logic gates operate in 2 states
Logic 1 or HIGH synonymous with a high voltage
Logic 0 or LOW synonymous with a low voltage
The operation of a logic gate is summarized in a Truth Table
A truth table shows the possible combinations of inputs and the resulting outputs
A good example of a digital state is a simple light switch. The switch can be either “ON” or “OFF”, one
state or the other, but not both at the same time.
Basic logic gates
There are seven basic logic gates: NOT, OR, AND, NOR, NAND, XOR**, XNOR**
NOT gate (Inverter)
NOT gates or Inverters are electronic circuits that produce an inverted version of the input.
NOT gates have one input and one output
The output of a NOT gate is HIGH (logic 1) if its input is LOW (logic 0) and LOW if its input is HIGH.
The output Q of a NOT gate with input A is given by which is read Q equals NOT A
NOT gate (Inverter) and Truth Table
OR gate
OR gates can take multiple inputs but are often shown with two inputs
The output of an OR gate is HIGH (logic 1) if either of its inputs is high.
The output Q of an OR gate with inputs A and B is given by where a plus sign (+) is used to
show the OR operation
OR gate and Truth Table
AND gate
An AND gate can take multiple inputs but is usually shown with two inputs
The output of an AND gate is HIGH (Logic 1) ONLY if BOTH its inputs are HIGH.
The logic expression given for a digital logic AND gate is that for Logical Multiplication which is denoted by
a single dot ( . ) giving us : .
AND gate and Truth Table
NOR gate
This is essentially an OR gate followed by a NOT gate or inverter.
The symbol for a NOR gate is an OR gate with a small circle or inverting bubble on the output
The output of a NOR gate is low if any of its inputs is high.
The output Q of a NOR gate with inputs A and B is given by which is read Q equals NOT A
or B.
NOR gate and Truth Table
NAND gate
A NAND (Not AND) gate is essentially an AND gate followed by an INVERTER.
The symbol for a NAND gate is an AND gate with a small circle or inverting bubble on the output
The output of a NAND gate is HIGH (logic 1) IF any of the inputs is LOW (logic 0)
The output Q of an AND gate with inputs A and B is given by which is read Q equals NOT A
and B.
PAST PAPER QUESTIONS
1) January 2017 P2 Q5
2) June 2005 P2 Q5
3) June 2010 P2 Q3b
