What is a Karnaugh Map?
In its simplest form, a Karnaugh map is a graphical shortcut to solving problems expressed in Boolean algebra. Boolean algebra is a form of mathematics that uses two values to perform computations and create expressions. This type of algebra is one of the fundamental concepts behind computer science and digital circuit design, and the Karnaugh map was first developed to help solve certain problems without using long computations. The map in its modern form was developed by physicist Maurice Karnaugh in 1953. Karnaugh maps are designed to shift the burden of solving certain problems away from computations and toward pattern recognition. These maps are also used to help sift visual information and discern meaningful organizations. Since humans are naturally skilled at pattern recognition, the use of Karnaugh maps quickly sped up certain aspects of circuit design. One of the Karnaugh map’s particular strengths is in finding and showing possible solutions to race hazards, which are flaws i
A Karnaugh map provides a pictorial method of grouping together expressions with common factors and therefore eliminating unwanted variables. 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. 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. Around the edge of the Karnaugh map are the values of the two input variable. A is along the top and B is down the left hand side. The diagram below explains this: The values around the edge of the map can be thought of as coordinates. So as an example, the square on the top right hand corner of the map in the above diagram has coordinates A=1 and B=0. This square corresponds to the row in the truth table where A=1 and B=0 and F=1. Note that the value in the F column rep
A Karnaugh map provides a pictorial method of grouping together expressions with common factors and therefore eliminating unwanted variables. 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. 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. Around the edge of the Karnaugh map are the values of the two input variable. A is along the top and B is down the left hand side. The diagram below explains this: The values around the edge of the map can be thought of as coordinates. So as an example, the square on the top right hand corner of the map in the above diagram has coordinates A=1 and B=0. This square corresponds to the row in the truth table where A=1 and B=0 and F=1. Note that the value in the F column repr
