Investigating Digital Logic 2
Objectives
At the end of this lab you should be able to
Describe and identify uses of basic logic gates
Construct truth table from a high level input/output specification
Construct truth table from given logic equation
Derive logic equation from given truth table and from logic circuit
Construct truth table from given logic circuit
Introduction
These exercises provide support for the understanding of the basic theory covered during
the lecture on digital logic. They enable students to work with different logic
representations such as truth tables, logic equations and logic circuits and be able to move
from one representation to another at ease.
Exercises
1. The term ‘logic gate’ is often used in association with digital logic circuits. Research
what is meant by a ‘logic gate’, what types of ‘logic gates’ there are and briefly
describe their importance in constructing complex digital logic circuits giving
examples where possible (confine your answer to half a page).
2. Truth-table is a valuable tool in describing the relationship(s) between the inputs to a
digital logic circuit block and the output(s) from this block. This relationship identifies
the transformation function between the inputs and the outputs(s). The
transformation function is then realised (or implemented) in logic circuit composed
of logic gates (please refer to the lecture slides on this).
Consider the following statements:
A digital logic accepts three digital inputs A, B and S and produces a single digital
output P. An input is active when it is a 1 and similarly the output is active when it is
a 1; an input is inactive when it is a 0. The only times the output of this digital block is
active is when a) B is active and both A and S are inactive or b) Both A and S are
active and B is inactive.
Use the above description to
i. Construct the truth table corresponding to the above statements
ii. Write the corresponding logic equation
iii. Draw by hand the corresponding logic circuit
3. Given the following logic equations construct the corresponding truth tables. The
dot (.) represents the AND logic operator, the plus (+) represents the OR logic
operator and the tilde (~) the NOT logic operator.
a) P.Q + ~P.~Q = R, where P and Q are the inputs and R is the output.
b) X.Y.~Z + ~X.Y.Z = W; X.Y.Z = V, where X, Y and Z are the inputs and W and V are
the outputs.
c) I1.I2 + ~I1.~I2 + I1.~I2 = Q, where I1 and I2 are the inputs and Q is the output.
4. Given the following logic circuit a) construct the truth table and b) write the
corresponding logic equation.
Now, verify your truth table using the logic simulator. This will require you manually
constructing the above circuit using the simulator software. Your tutor(s) will be able
to help you on this if you require assistance. However, why don’t you have a go
anyway before first asking for help!
Note: To use a gate, select the appropriate logic component from the library of gates
and click on the desired position on the grid to place it. You can move the placed
gates by dragging them across the grid. Use the ‘wiring tool’ to connect the
components together. You will need to experiment a little before you can construct
the logic circuit. Alternatively, you can download the file “A Logic Circuit for Logic
Tutorial [Link]”.