ECE 3544

Digital Design I
SELF-STUDY MODULE 3:
MAP MINIMIZATION EXAMPLES
Karnaugh Maps
To map the function, enter the information from the truth table or minterm list into the boxes of the
Karnaugh map.
To minimize the function, group adjacent squares that contain 1s.
◦ The number of boxes in the group must be a power of 2. The boxes must also have mutual logical
adjacency.
◦ Minimize the number of groups.
◦ Maximize the size of each group. It is fine if groups overlap.
◦ However, each group must contain at least one box that is not in any other group. This ensures that
none of the groups are redundant.
Each group in the map represents a product term. To name a group, form a product term from the
literals that all of the group members have in common.
To formulate the function, create a sum-of-products expression consisting of the product terms for your
groups.

2
Karnaugh Maps
f(A,B,C) = Σm(2, 3, 4, 5)
◦ Map the function.
◦ Minimize the function.
◦ Name the groups. Formulate the function.

BC
00 01 11 10

0
0 1 3 2
A
1
4 5 7 6

f(A,B,C) =

3
Karnaugh Maps
f(A,B,C) = Σm(2, 3, 4, 5)
◦ Map the function.
◦ Minimize the function.
◦ Name the groups. Formulate the function.

BC
00 01 11 10

0 0 0 1 1
0 1 3 2
A
1 1 1 0 0
4 5 7 6

f(A,B,C) =

4
Karnaugh Maps
f(A,B,C) = Σm(2, 3, 4, 5)
◦ Map the function.
◦ Minimize the function.
◦ Name the groups. Formulate the function.

BC
00 01 11 10

0 0 0 1 1
0 1 3 2
A
1 1 1 0 0
4 5 7 6

f(A,B,C) =

5
Karnaugh Maps
f(A,B,C) = Σm(2, 3, 4, 5)
◦ Map the function.
◦ Minimize the function.
◦ Name the groups. Formulate the function.

BC
00 01 11 10

0 0 0 1 1
0 1 3 2
A
1 1 1 0 0
4 5 7 6

f(A,B,C) = A′B + AB′

6
Karnaugh Maps
f(A,B,C) = Σm(3, 4, 6, 7)
◦ Map the function.
◦ Minimize the function.
◦ Name the groups. Formulate the function.

BC
00 01 11 10

0
0 1 3 2
A
1
4 5 7 6

f(A,B,C) =

7
Karnaugh Maps
f(A,B,C) = Σm(3, 4, 6, 7)
◦ Map the function.
◦ Minimize the function.
◦ Name the groups. Formulate the function.

BC
00 01 11 10

0 0 0 1 0
0 1 3 2
A
1 1 0 1 1
4 5 7 6

f(A,B,C) =

8
Karnaugh Maps
f(A,B,C) = Σm(3, 4, 6, 7)
◦ Map the function.
◦ Minimize the function.
◦ Name the groups. Formulate the function.

BC
00 01 11 10

0 0 0 1 0
0 1 3 2
A
1 1 0 1 1
4 5 7 6

f(A,B,C) =

9
Karnaugh Maps
f(A,B,C) = Σm(3, 4, 6, 7)
◦ Map the function.
◦ Minimize the function.
◦ Name the groups. Formulate the function.

BC
00 01 11 10

0 0 0 1 0
0 1 3 2
A
1 1 0 1 1
4 5 7 6

f(A,B,C) = AC′ + BC

10
Karnaugh Maps
f(A,B,C) = A′B + A′C + BC + AB ′C
◦ Map the groups in the function.
◦ Use the minterms you find to minimize the function.
◦ Name the new groups. Formulate the function.

BC
00 01 11 10

0
0 1 3 2
A
1
4 5 7 6

f(A,B,C) =

11
Karnaugh Maps
f(A,B,C) = A′B + A′C + BC + AB ′C
◦ Map the groups in the function.
◦ Use the minterms you find to minimize the function.
◦ Name the new groups. Formulate the function.

A′C
A′B
BC
00 01 11 10

0 1 1 1
0 1 3 2
A
BC
1 1 1
4 5 7 6

AB ′C
f(A,B,C) =

12
Karnaugh Maps
f(A,B,C) = A′B + A′C + BC + AB ′C
◦ Map the groups in the function.
◦ Use the minterms you find to minimize the function.
◦ Name the new groups. Formulate the function.

BC
00 01 11 10

0 1 1 1
0 1 3 2
A
1 1 1
4 5 7 6

f(A,B,C) =

13
Karnaugh Maps
f(A,B,C) = A′B + A′C + BC + AB ′C
◦ Map the groups in the function.
◦ Use the minterms you find to minimize the function.
◦ Name the new groups. Formulate the function.

BC
00 01 11 10

0 1 1 1
0 1 3 2
A
1 1 1
4 5 7 6

f(A,B,C) = C + A′B

14
Karnaugh Maps
The size of the map doubles each time we add a new variable. We have to take care to observe new
instances of adjacency.
CD
00 01 11 10

00
0 1 3 2

01
4 5 7 6
AB
11
12 13 15 14

10
8 9 11 10

15
Karnaugh Maps
Try it! Obtain the simplest SOP form of f(A,B,C,D) = Σm(0, 1, 2, 6, 8, 9, 10).

CD
00 01 11 10

00
0 1 3 2

01
4 5 7 6
AB
11
12 13 15 14

10
8 9 11 10

16
Karnaugh Maps
Try it! Obtain the simplest SOP form of f(A,B,C,D) = Σm(0, 1, 2, 6, 8, 9, 10).

CD
00 01 11 10

00 1 1 0 1
0 1 3 2

01 0 0 0 1
4 5 7 6
AB
11 0 0 0 0
12 13 15 14

10 1 1 0 1
8 9 11 10

f(A, B, C, D) = B′C′ + B′D′ + A′CD′

17
Karnaugh Maps
Try it! Obtain the simplest SOP form of f(A,B,C,D) = Σm(0, 1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, 12, 13, 14).

CD
00 01 11 10

00
0 1 3 2

01
4 5 7 6
AB
11
12 13 15 14

10
8 9 11 10

18
Karnaugh Maps
Try it! Obtain the simplest SOP form of f(A,B,C,D) = Σm(0, 1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, 12, 13, 14).

CD
00 01 11 10

00 1 1 1
0 1 3 2

01 1 1 1
4 5 7 6
AB
11 1 1 1
12 13 15 14

10 1 1
8 9 11 10

f(A, B, C, D) = C′ + A′D′ + BD′

19
Karnaugh Maps
Sometimes a designer doesn’t care whether a particular combination of inputs causes a logic circuit to
output or 0 or 1.
Consider the binary-coded decimal codes.
◦ Only 10 of the 16 four-variable codes represent valid BCD codes. The other 6 codes are invalid.
◦ If we design a function to accept BCD inputs, it doesn’t matter what the invalid codes produce as
outputs, since they will not occur as inputs
Literal terms whose outputs do not impact the output function are called don’t care conditions.
◦ Use “d” or “x” to represent a don’t care in a Karnaugh map.

Functions that contain don’t care conditions are called incompletely-specified functions.
Example: A function that outputs 1 if a valid BCD input is a multiple of 3 has the expression:
f(A,B,C,D) = Σm(0, 3, 6, 9) + d(10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15)
We’re assuming that we don’t care what happens if the input isn’t a valid BCD value.

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Karnaugh Maps
To minimize an incompletely-specified function, observe these additional requirements.
◦ Use don’t cares as 1s if they help to make a larger valid group.
◦ Use as many of the don’t cares as you need to make larger groups.
◦ Don’t make groups that are all don’t cares!

21
Karnaugh Maps
Try it! Obtain the simplest SOP form of f(A,B,C,D) = Σm(0, 1, 2, 6, 8, 9, 12, 14) + d(4, 5, 10, 13, 15).

CD
00 01 11 10

00
0 1 3 2

01
4 5 7 6
AB
11
12 13 15 14

10
8 9 11 10

22
Karnaugh Maps
Try it! Obtain the simplest SOP form of f(A,B,C,D) = Σm(0, 1, 2, 6, 8, 9, 12, 14) + d(4, 5, 10, 13, 15).

CD
00 01 11 10

00 1 1 0 1
0 1 3 2

01 d d 0 1
4 5 7 6
AB
11 1 d d 1
12 13 15 14

10 1 1 0 d
8 9 11 10

f(A, B, C, D) = C′ + D′

23
Karnaugh Maps
Compare what happens when can’t use the don’t cares to what happened when we did:

CD
00 01 11 10

00 1 1 0 1
0 1 3 2

01 0 0 0 1
4 5 7 6
AB
11 1 0 0 1
12 13 15 14

10 1 1 0 0
8 9 11 10

f(A, B, C, D) = B′C′ + A′CD′ + ABD′

24
Karnaugh Maps
Try it! Obtain the simplest SOP form of f(A,B,C,D) = Σm(0, 3, 6, 9) + d(10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15).

CD
00 01 11 10

00
0 1 3 2

01
4 5 7 6
AB
11
12 13 15 14

10
8 9 11 10

25
Karnaugh Maps
Try it! Obtain the simplest SOP form of f(A,B,C,D) = Σm(0, 3, 6, 9) + d(10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15).

CD
00 01 11 10

00 1 0 1 0
0 1 3 2

01 0 0 0 1
4 5 7 6
AB
11 d d d d
12 13 15 14

10 0 1 d d
8 9 11 10

f(A, B, C, D) = AD + B′CD + BCD′ + A′B′C′D′

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