ECE120: Introduction to Computer Engineering Notes Set 2.2 Boolean Properties and Don’t Care Simplification

This set of notes begins with a brief illustration of a few properties of Boolean logic, which may be of use to you in manipulating algebraic expressions and in identifying equivalent logic functions without resorting to truth tables. We then discuss the value of underspecifying a logic function so as to allow for selection of the simplest possible implementation. This technique must be used carefully to avoid incorrect behavior, so we illustrate the possibility of misuse with an example, then talk about several ways of solving the example correctly. We conclude by generalizing the ideas in the example to several important application areas and talking about related problems.