10 min read
Introduction
How computers make decisions with simple on/off logic — and what you will be able to design by the end of this course.
Machines That Decide
Every decision a computer makes — from adding two numbers to checking a password — is built from logic gates. In this course you will learn to:
- Draw the symbols and truth tables for AND, OR, NOT, NAND, NOR and XOR gates.
- Build truth tables for circuits with several inputs.
- Read a circuit diagram and write its Boolean expression, one gate at a time.
- Draw a circuit from an expression.
- Use the laws of Boolean algebra and De Morgan's theorems to simplify expressions — and check the result with a truth table.
- Turn a real control problem (sensors and switches) into a truth table, an expression and a circuit.
Practice
How many values can a Boolean variable have?
More lessons in Boolean Algebra and Logic Gates · Next: Logic and Truth Tables
