These concepts can be difficult to understand at first glance. There are several different types of logic functions that are used in programming , engineering, science, and general mathematics. Learning about these various functions can help you better understand how computers work and help you build your own with code. Let’s take a look at what each of them does and the examples where they can be used.
If you’ve ever studied math, logic, or computer science in school, you’ll know that logic plays an important role in all of those fields. Logic is at the heart of it all: it is a type of reasoning that helps people make sense of information and arguments by analyzing the structure of an argument and identifying its assumptions, premises and implications.
Index of contents
- What is a logic function?
- The AND function
- The OR function
- The NAND function
- The NOT function
- The NOR function
- The XOR function
- The equivalence function
What is a logic function?
A logical function is a mathematical operation that manipulates data and generates a new result based on the input provided . These functions are used in programming and engineering to create more complex functions from simple building blocks. Understanding logic functions is important when learning about and programming with computer hardware, circuit design, and other engineering disciplines. Logic functions are a type of Boolean function. A Boolean function is a function that has only two output values: True or False. These Boolean values are used in digital electronics and programming as a way to represent two different states: On/Off, Open/Close, One/Zero, etc.
The AND function
The AND functiontakes two inputs and produces a TRUE result only if both inputs are TRUE. If either input is FALSE, the result will be FALSE, regardless of the other input. The AND function can be represented by an “&” symbol and looks like this: If you’re thinking that this function is a lot like the “OR” function, you’re right. The only difference is that the AND function has a strict rule that both inputs must be TRUE to generate a TRUE result. The AND function is useful when you want to make sure that two conditions are met to generate a certain result. For example, let’s say you want to make a machine that can be used in the rain only if the person using it is wearing a safety helmet. You can program your machine to shut down if either of these two conditions is not met.
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The OR function
The OR function takes two inputs and produces a TRUE result if either input is TRUE. If both inputs are FALSE, the result will be FALSE. The OR function can be represented with a single symbol “|” and it looks like this: The OR function is useful when you want to ensure that at least one condition is met to generate a certain result. For example, let’s say you want to create a machine that turns off when someone presses a red button or a blue button. You can program your machine to turn off when either button is pressed. The OR function is a great way to check two conditions at once so you don’t accidentally let the machine stay on when pressed.
The NAND function
The NAND functiontakes two inputs and produces a TRUE result only if both inputs are FALSE. If any of the inputs is TRUE, the result will be FALSE. The NAND function can be represented by an ampersand and looks like this: This function is very similar to the AND function but with one important difference: The NAND function is always FALSE when at least one input is TRUE. The NAND function is useful when you want to make sure that two conditions are always met to produce a certain result. For example, let’s say you want to make a game where a player can only travel to the next level if he has collected enough points throughout the level. You can program your game so that both conditions are met for the player to proceed to the next level.
The NOT function
The NOT function takes an input and produces a TRUE result if the input is FALSE and a FALSE result if the input is TRUE. The NOT function can be represented by a single symbol “!” and it looks like this: The NOT function is useful when you want to reverse a condition so that the result is the opposite of the current one. For example, let’s say you want to make a game where a player can receive more points for collecting coins. You can program the game to check for a condition where the player does not collect coins so that they can receive bonus points instead. The NOT function is a great way to invert a condition so that it does the opposite of what it normally does.
The NOR function
The NOR functiontakes two inputs and produces a TRUE result only if BOTH inputs are FALSE. If any of the inputs is TRUE, the result will be FALSE. The NOR function can be represented by an ampersand and looks like this: This function is very similar to the NAND function but with one important difference: The NOR function is always TRUE when at least one input is TRUE. The NOR function is useful when you want to make sure that two conditions are always met to produce a certain result. For example, let’s say you want to make a game that tracks how many times a player has attempted the level and how many times they have succeeded. You can program the game so that both conditions are met for the player to proceed to the next level.
The XOR function
The XOR functiontakes two inputs and produces a TRUE result if one of the inputs is TRUE but not both. If both inputs are FALSE or BOTH inputs are TRUE, the result will be FALSE. The XOR function can be represented with a “|” symbol. and it looks like this: This function is very similar to the OR function but with one important difference: The XOR function is always FALSE when both inputs are TRUE. The XOR function is useful when you want to make sure that at least one condition is met to produce a certain result. For example, let’s say you want to make a game that tracks how many times a player has attempted the level and how many times they have succeeded. You can program the game so that either of the two conditions is met for the player to proceed to the next level.
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The equivalence function
The equivalence function is a special logical function that returns TRUE if both inputs are equal. If the inputs are different, the function will return FALSE. The equivalence function can be represented by a double symbol “==” and looks like this: The equivalence function is useful when you want to make sure that two inputs are equal. For example, let’s say you’re building a game that tracks the number of times a player has attempted a level. You can program the game to make sure that the input for the number of tries is equal to the number of tries the player has made before. The equivalence function is a good way to make sure that two values are the same so as not to accidentally allow the player to try the level more than once.
