Logic Gates – Definition, Types, Uses
Last Updated : 30 Dec, 2024
Logic Gates are the fundamental building blocks in digital electronics.
There are basically seven main types of logic gates which are used to
perform various logical operations in digital systems. By combining
different logic gates complex operations are performed and circuits like
flip-flop, counters, and processors are designed. In this article we will
see various types of logic gates in detail.
Table of Content
What is a Logic Gate?
Types of Logic Gates
AND GATE
OR GATE
NOT GATE
NOR GATE
NAND GATE
XOR GATE
XNOR GATE
Applications of Logic Gates
Advantages of Logic Gates
Disadvantages of Logic Gates
Conclusion
Frequently Asked Questions on Logic Gates – Definition, Types, Uses
– FAQs
What is a Logic Gate?
A logic gates are an electronic circuit that are designed by using
electrical components like diodes, transistors, resistors, and more. It is
used to perform logical operations based on the inputs provided to it
and gives logical output that can be either high(1) or low(0). The
operation of logic gates is based on the Boolean algebra or
mathematics. Logic gate founds its uses in our day to day basis such as
in the architecture of our telephone, laptops, tablets an memory devices.
Types of Logic Gates
Logic gates can be broadly classified into three main categories
AND GATE
An AND gate is used to perform logical Multiplication of binary input.
The Output state of the AND gate will be high(1) if both the input are
high(1) ,else the output state will be low(0) if any of the input is low(0).
The Boolean Expression or logic for the AND gate is the logical
multiplication of inputs denoted by a full stop or single dot as
A.B=X
The value of X will be True when both the inputs will be True.
Properties of AND Gate
The following are two main properties of the AND gate
AND gate can accept two or more than two input values at a time.
When all of the inputs are logic 1, the output of this gate is logic 1.
OR GATE
OR GATE is most widely used digital logic circuit. The output state of
OR gate will be high i.e.,(1) if any of the input state is high or 1, else
output state will be low i.e., 0.
The Boolean Expression for the OR gate is the logical addition of inputs
denoted by plus sign(+) as
X= A+B
The value of X will be high(true) when one of the inputs is set to high
(true).
Properties of OR Gate
An OR gate have the following two properties:
It can have two or more input lines at a time.
When all of the inputs to the OR gate are low or logic 0, the output
of it is low or logic 0.
NOT GATE
In digital electronics, the NOT gate is one of the basic logic gate having
only a single input and a single output. It is also known as inverter or
inverting buffer. When the input signal is “low” the output signal is
“high” and vice-versa.
The Boolean expression of NOT Gate is as follows
Y = Ā or
Y = A’
the value of Y will be high when A will be low.
Properties of NOT Gate
The output of a NOT gate is complement or inverse of the input
applied to it.
NOT gate takes only one output.
NOR GATE
The NOR gate is the type of universal logic gate. It takes two or more
inputs and gives only one output. The output state of the NOR gate will
be high(1) when all the inputs are low(0). NOR gate returns the
complement result of the OR gate. It is basically a combination of two
basic logic gates i.e., OR gate and NOT gate.
The Boolean expression of NOR gate is as follows :
If A and B are considered as two inputs, and O as output, then the
expression for a two input NOR gate will be
O = (A + B)’
The value of O will be true when all of its inputs are set to 0.
Properties of NOR Gate
The following are two important properties of NOR gate:
A NOR gate can have two or more inputs and gives an output.
A NOR gate gives a high or logic 1 output only when its all inputs are
low or logic 0.
NAND GATE
The NAND Gate is another type of Universal logic gate. The NAND gate
or “Not AND” is the combination of two basic logic gates AND gate and
the NOT gate connected in series. It takes two or more inputs and gives
only one output. The output of the NAND gate will give result high(1)
when either of its input is high(1) or both of its input are low(0). In
simple, it performs the inverted operation of AND gate.
The Boolean Expression of NAND Gate is as follows
Say we have two inputs, A and B and the output is called X, then the
expression is
X = (A . B)’
Properties of NAND Gate
The following are the two key properties of NAND Gate
NAND gate can take two or more inputs at a time and produces one
output based on the combination of inputs applied.
NAND gate produces a low or logic 0 output only when its all inputs
are high or logic 1.
XOR GATE
In digital electronics, there is a specially designed logic gate named,
XOR gate, which is used in digital circuits to perform modulo sum. It is
also referred to as Exclusive OR gate or Ex-OR gate. it is used
extensively in arithmetic logic circuits., logic comparators and error
detection circuits. The XOR gate can take only two inputs at a time and
give an output. The output of the XOR gate is high(1) only when its two
inputs are dissimilar i.e., if one of them is low(0) then other one will be
high(1).
Say we have two inputs, A and B and the output is called X, then the
expression is
The Boolean expression of XOR Gate is as follows
X = A’B + AB’
Properties of XOR Gate
The following two are the main properties of the XOR gate:
It can accept only two inputs at a time. There is nothing like a three
or more input XOR gate.
The output of the XOR gate is logic 1 or high, when its inputs are
dissimilar.
XNOR GATE
The XNOR is the combination of XOR gate and NOT gate. The output of
the XNOR gate is high(1) when both the inputs are high(1) or low(0). In
other words, the output of the XNOR gate is high(1) when both the
inputs are the same. the XNOR gate can be sometimes be called as
Equivalence gate. In simple words, The XNOR gate is the complement
of the XOR gate.
The following is the Boolean expression of the XNOR gate,
Y=A⊙B
Here, A and B are the input variables and Y is the output variable.
This expression can also be written as follows,
Y = AB + A’B’
We can also express the operation of an XNOR gate using XOR gate
logic as follows:
Y = (A ⊕ B)’
Properties of XNOR Gate
The following are two key properties of XNOR gate:
XNOR gate takes only two inputs and produces one output.
The output of the XNOR gate is high or logic 1 only when it has
similar inputs.
Applications of Logic Gates
Logic gates are the fundamental building blocks of all digital circuits
and devices like computers. Here are some key digital devices in which
logic gates are utilized to design their circuits.
Computers
Microprocessors
Microcontrollers
Digital and smart watches
Smartphones, etc.
Advantages of Logic Gates
Basic Functions : Logic gates carry out basic logical functions like
AND, OR, NOT, XOR, NAND, and NOR. All digital operations and dat
respective processing rely on these functions.
Speed : Their extremely high speed rates make them an essential
feature in today’s information processing systems that aim for
quickness in data analysis.
Reliability : Being elements whose behaviors are accurately defined
means there is no uncertainty about how they behave when used as
part of a system.
Scalability : Digital systems complexity increases by interconnecting
and replicating these components without significant variations in
size or complexity.
Low Cost : Logic Gate costs are relatively low from production
viewpoint thus making it popular among those who want to
construct digital circuits inexpensively.
Low Power Consumption : Power consumption is minimal with logic
gates; hence less energy is needed for operating hence suitable for
use with gadgets without batteries or devices running low power
consumption applications at all times.
Disadvantages of Logic Gates
Despite their numerous advantages, logic gates have their
disadvantages. The following paragraphs discuss some shortcomings of
logic gates.
Complexity : The advancement and complexity of digital systems
results in increasing number of logic gates and their interconnections,
which causes designs that are very difficult to handle and
troubleshoot.
Propagation Delay : Small delay in the propagating signal is
introduced with every logic gate. When several such gates are
chained together, these delays can add up and have adverse effects
on the overall speed and performance of the circuit.
Realization of Logic Gate Using Universal gates
Last Updated : 03 Oct, 2024
In Boolean Algebra, the NAND and NOR gates are called universal
gates because any digital circuit can be implemented by using any one
of these two i.e. any logic gate can be created using NAND or NOR
gates only.
Every logic gate has a representation symbol. The below image shows a
graphical representation of all logic gates.
Graphical representation of logic gates.
Implementation of AND Gate using Universal Gates
Implementation using NAND Gates
The AND gate is developed using two NAND gates wherein the outputs
are combined in such a way that only when both of the inputs are HIGH
will the output be HIGH. The first NAND gate performs a standard
NAND functions, the second NAND gate has both inputs tied to the
output of the initial NAND gate as shown below. This particular
configuration flips the output thus emulating the behaviors of an AND
gate.
The AND gate can be implemented by using two NAND gates in the
below fashion:
Implementation using NOR Gates
AND gate is developed from three NOR gates and the settings of this
Gate is referred to as 111. The inputs are then transformed with the use
of a NOR gate and then they are negated one more time by using two
more NOR gates. Together, these create the AND function, meaning
that all of the conditions set have to be met in order to pass.
Implementation of AND gate using only NOR gates as shown below
Implementation of OR Gate using Universal Gates
Implementation Using NAND Gates
It is implemented using three NAND gates. The inputs are first inverted
using two NAND gates having their inputs probed in parallel and then
the inverted outputs are connected with the input of third NAND gate.
The last NAND gate effectively performs the inverted signals to give
the required OR gate function.
The OR gate can be implemented using the NAND gate as below
Implementation using NOR Gates
The OR gate is created by using an inverse of the output of the NOR
operation. An inverted form of the inputs is provided directly into the
NOR gate while the output is provided in NOR gate using fixed inputs.
This inversion gives the OR gate logic as shown below.
Implementation of OR gate using two NOR gates as shown in the
picture below:
Implementation of NOT Gate using Universal gates.
Implementation using NAND Gates
A single NAND gate with ‘a’ and ‘b’ inputs connected respond to a NOT
gate. The NOT gate function is achieved as the result of NAND
operation because the input signal is inverted.
Implementation of NOT gate using a single NAND gate as shown in the
picture below:
Implementation Using NOR Gates
A single NOR gate with joining of both inputs perform the function of
NOT gate. The input is negated and the output thus obtained is the
inversion that is characteristic of an NOT gate.
Implementation of NOT gate using a single NOR gate as shown in the
picture below:
Implementation of XOR Gate using Universal gates.
Implementation using NAND Gates
XOR gate can be implemented using four NAND gates as illustrated
below. All these input signals are mixed in a way that first recognizes
the disparities between the two inputs and grinds them to create the
XOR output.
Implementation of XOR gate using four NAND gate as shown in the
picture below
Implementation Using NOR Gates
The XOR gate is implemented by five gates and these gates are the
NOR gates. The inputs are then passed through a number of NOR gates
to remove all the non-exclusive conditions before the XOR is applied to
them.
Implementation of XOR gate using five NOR gate as shown in the
picture below:
Implementation of XNOR Gate using Universal Gates
Implementation Using NAND Gate
XNOR gate is implemented by five NAND gates to make the circuit. The
XOR logic is first obtained, and then the outgoing XOR signal is passed
through a NAND gate that negates it to obtain the XNOR function.
Implementation of XNOR gate using five NAND gate as shown in the
picture below:
Implementation Using NOR Gate
The XNOR gate can be implemented using four NOR gates. The XOR
logic is then allowed to pass through a NOR gate, and the logic of
output obtained will be the XNOR.
Implementation of XNOR gate using four NOR gate as shown in the
picture below:
Implementation of NOR Gate using NAND Gates
NOR gate is formed by using four NAND gates. The first two gates
perform the operation of inversion of inputs while the subsequent two
gates perform the normal NOR operation.
Implementation of NOR gate using four NAND gate as shown in the
picture below:
Implementation of NAND Gate using NOR Gates
The NAND gate is made using four NOR gates. The first two gates
invert the inputs, and next two gates perform the operations equivalent
to NAND operation by these inverted signals.
Implementation of NAND gate using four NOR gate as shown in the
picture below
Advantages of Using Universal Gates
1) Simplicity: These are gates that can be used for all forms of logical
operations hence can help reduce the number of components in a
circuit.
2) Cost-Effective: Less part are required when developing one type of
gate only thus lowering costs of manufacturing.
3) Flexibility: Universal gates can perform any digital logic function
which makes it convenient to design any type of circuit.
4) Reliability: The dependence of a small number of various gates
can result in increased reliability in digital circuits.
