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Digital Logic Design
Lecture#4
Instructor: Syed Muhammad Usman
Slides Courtesy: Ms. Aunsia Khan Lecturer, SZABIST
Karnaugh Map
A Karnaugh map provides a pictorial method of grouping
together expressions with common factors and therefore
eliminating unwanted variables
Karnaugh Map
Simplification of Boolean Expressions
Doesn’t guarantee simplest form of expression
Terms are not obvious
Skills of applying rules and laws
K-map provides a systematic method
An array of cells
Used for simplifying 2, 3, 4 and 5 variable
expressions
3-Variable K-map
Used for simplifying 3-variable expressions
K-map has 8 cells representing the 8 minterms and 8
maxterms
K-map can be represented in row format or column
format
4-Variable K-map
Used for simplifying 4-variable expressions
K-map has 16 cells representing the 16 minterms and
16 maxterms
A 4-variable K-map has a square format
Karnaugh Map
The Karnaugh map can also be described as a special
arrangement of a truth table.
The diagram below illustrates the correspondence
between the Karnaugh map and the truth table for the
general case of a two variable problem.
Karnaugh Map
The values inside the squares are copied from the output
column of the truth table, therefore there is one square in
the map for every row in the truth table
Karnaugh Map Rules
The Karnaugh map uses the following rules for the
simplification of expressions by grouping together
adjacent cells containing ones
Groups may not include any cell containing a zero
Groups may be horizontal or vertical, but not diagonal.
Karnaugh Map Rules
Groups must contain 1, 2, 4, 8, or in general 2n cells.
That is if n = 1, a group will contain two 1's since 21 = 2.
If n = 2, a group will contain four 1's since 22 = 4.
Karnaugh Map Rules
Each group should be as large as possible.
Each cell containing a one must be in at least one group.
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Karnaugh Map Rules
Groups may overlap.
Karnaugh Map Rules
Groups may wrap around the table. The leftmost cell in a row
may be grouped with the rightmost cell and the top cell in a
column may be grouped with the bottom cell.
Karnaugh Map Rules
There should be as few groups as possible, as long as this
does not contradict any of the previous rules.
Summary
i. No zeros allowed.
ii. No diagonals.
iii. Only power of 2 number of cells in each group.
iv. Groups should be as large as possible.
v. Every one must be in at least one group.
vi. Overlapping allowed.
vii. Wrap around allowed.
viii. Fewest number of groups possible.
Practice Problems
Minimize the following problems using the Karnaugh maps
method.
15 Practice Problems
Minimize the following problems using the Karnaugh maps
method.