Boolean algebra
Boolean algebra
and false, ordinarily denoted 1 and 0 respectively. It is used to analyze and simplify digital circuits or
digital gates. It is also called Binary Algebra or logical Algebra. It has been fundamental in the
development of digital electronics and is provided for in all modern programming languages. It is
also used in set theory and statistics.
The important operations performed in Boolean algebra are – conjunction (∧), disjunction (∨) and
negation (¬). Hence, this algebra is far way different from elementary algebra where the values of
variables are numerical and arithmetic operations like addition, subtraction is been performed on
them.
Below is the table defining the symbols for all three basic operations.
Suppose A and B are two Boolean variables, then we can define the three
operations as;
Boolean Expression
A logical statement that results in a Boolean value, either be True or False, is a
Boolean expression. Sometimes, synonyms are used to express the statement such
as ‘Yes’ for ‘True’ and ‘No’ for ‘False’. Also, 1 and 0 are used for digital circuits for
True and False, respectively.
Boolean expressions are the statements that use logical operators, i.e., AND, OR,
XOR and NOT. Thus, if we write X AND Y = True, then it is a Boolean expression.
Variable used can have only two values. Binary 1 for HIGH and Binary 0 for LOW.
The complement of a variable is represented by an overbar.
OR-ing of the variables is represented by a plus (+) sign between them. For example, the OR-ing of A,
B, and C is represented as A + B + C.
Logical AND-ing of the two or more variables is represented by writing a dot between them, such as
A.B.C. Sometimes, the dot may be omitted like ABC.
Laws of Boolean Algebra
There are six types of Boolean algebra laws. They are:
Commutative law
Associative law
Distributive law
AND law
OR law
Inversion law
Those six laws are explained in detail here.
Commutative Law
Any binary operation which satisfies the following expression is referred to as a commutative
operation. Commutative law states that changing the sequence of the variables does not have any
effect on the output of a logic circuit.
A. B = B. A
A+B=B+A
Associative Law
It states that the order in which the logic operations are performed is irrelevant as their effect is the
same.
( A. B ). C = A . ( B . C )
( A + B ) + C = A + ( B + C)
Distributive Law
Distributive law states the following conditions:
A. ( B + C) = (A. B) + (A. C)
A + (B. C) = (A + B) . ( A + C)
AND Law
These laws use the AND operation. Therefore they are called AND laws.
A .0 = 0
A.1=A
A. A = A
OR Law
These laws use the OR operation. Therefore they are called OR laws.
A +0=A
A+1=1
A+A=A
Inversion Law
In Boolean algebra, the inversion law states that double inversion of variable results in the original
variable itself.
Boolean Algebra Theorems
The two important theorems which are extremely used in Boolean algebra are De Morgan’s First law
and De Morgan’s second law. These two theorems are used to change the Boolean expression. This
theorem basically helps to reduce the given Boolean expression in the simplified form. These two De
Morgan’s laws are used to change the expression from one form to another form. Now, let us
discuss these two theorems in detail.
The first law states that the complement of the product of the variables is equal to the sum of their
individual complements of a variable.
The truth table that shows the verification of De Morgan’s First law is given as follows:
The second law states that the complement of the sum of variables is equal to the product of their
individual complements of a variable.
The following truth table shows the proof for De Morgan’s second law.
The last two columns show that (A+B)’ = A’. B’.
The other theorems in Boolean algebra are complementary theorem, duality theorem, transposition
theorem, redundancy theorem and so on. All these theorems are used to simplify the given Boolean
expression. The reduced Boolean expression should be equivalent to the given Boolean expression.
Solved Examples
Question: Simplify the following expression:
Solution:
Given:
Therefore,
Boolean algebra is a branch of mathematics that deals with the manipulation of variables which can
assume only two truth values, true or false, denoted by 1 and 0, respectively.
Boolean algebra is named after English mathematician George Boole, who first introduced this
concept in his book, “The Mathematical Analysis of Logic”. The idea of Boolean algebra became the
basis of digital electronics and provided essential logic systems for modern computer programming
languages. Unlike general variables, Boolean variables can either have the values 1 or 0, which
denotes the state of ON and OFF in digital electronics. The primary operations which are performed
over these variables are addition and multiplication. Let us learn the Boolean algebra laws and
theorems to perform the arithmetic operations over Boolean variables.
Before understanding the laws of Boolean algebra, let us quickly go through the various logic
operations and their truth values used in Boolean algebra for calculation.
Boolean algebra laws and theorems are a set of rules that are required to reduce or simplify any
given complex Boolean expression. Follwing is a list of Boolean algebra laws that are most commonly
used.
In addition to these Boolean algebra laws, we have a few Boolean postulates which are used to
algebraically solve Boolean expressions into a simplified form.
Application of Boolean Algebra Laws
As we have already stated laws of Boolean algebra have their application in digital electronics. Let us
see how these laws are used in switching circuits.
Solved Examples on Boolean Algebra Laws
Now, let us apply these Boolean laws to simplify complex Boolean expressions and
find an equivalent reduced Boolean expression.
Example 1:
Solution:
Let us simplify the given Boolean expression (A + B).(A + C) using relevant Boolean
laws.
Thus, (A + B).(A + C) = A + BC
Example 2:
Solution:
De Morgan’s law states that ‘The complement of the union of two sets A and B is
equal to the intersection of the complement of the sets A’ and B’. Also, according to
De Morgan’s law, the complement of the intersection of two sets A and B is equal to
the union of the complement of the sets A and B i.e.,
(A∪B)’ = A’ ∩ B’
And (A ∩ B)’ = A’ ∪ B’
A’ = {x : x ∈ U and x ∉ A}
A ∪ A’ = U
Also, the intersection of a set A and its complement A’ gives the empty set ∅.
A ∩ A’ = ∅
A ∪ A’ = U = { 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5}
Also
A ∩ A’ = ∅
ii) Law of Double Complementation: According to this law if we take the complement
of the complemented set A’ then, we get the set A itself.
(A’)’ = A
(A’)’ = {1 , 2 , 3} = A
According to this law the complement of the universal set gives us the empty set and
vice-versa i.e.,
∅’ = U And U’ = ∅
Solved Problem
Example:
A universal set U which consists of all the natural numbers which are multiples of 3,
less than or equal to 20. Let A be a subset of U which consists of all the even
numbers and the set B is also a subset of U consisting of all the prime numbers.
Verify De Morgan Law.
U = {3 , 6 , 9 , 12 , 15 , 18}
A = {6 , 12 , 18}
B = {3}
The union of both A and B can be given as,
A ∪ B = {3 , 6 , 12 , 18}
(A ∪ B)’={9 , 15}
A∩B=∅
(A ∩ B)’ = {3 , 6 , 9 , 12 , 15 ,18}
A’ = {3 , 9 , 15}
B’ = {6 , 9 , 12 , 15 , 18}
A’∪B’ = {3 , 6 , 9 , 12 , 15 ,18}
A’ ∩ B’ = {9 , 15}
(A ∪ B)’ = A’ ∩ B’ = {9 , 15}
And also,
(A ∩ B)’ = A’ ∪ B’ = {3 , 6 , 9 , 12 , 15 ,18}
Hence, the above result is true in general and is known as De Morgan Law.