Digital Logic Documentation — Naming the Table What is the standard format used to present every possible input combination to a logic gate together with the corresponding output value?

Difficulty: Easy

Correct Answer: truth table.

Explanation:


Introduction / Context:
In digital electronics, we often need a complete, unambiguous description of how a logic device responds to all possible input combinations. The universally accepted way to present this information is with a specific tabular format used in textbooks, datasheets, and design documents.


Given Data / Assumptions:

  • The device is a logic gate or a small combinational circuit.
  • Inputs and outputs take on binary values (0 or 1) under conventional logic.
  • The goal is to list input combinations and the corresponding output(s).


Concept / Approach:
The standard table that enumerates every possible input pattern and the resultant output is known as a truth table. It provides an exhaustive mapping from inputs to outputs and serves as the reference for deriving Boolean expressions and verifying implementation correctness.


Step-by-Step Solution:
1) Identify the number of inputs, say n, leading to 2^n possible input combinations.2) Layout a table with n input columns and one or more output columns.3) Fill the table with all input combinations (e.g., binary count from 00…0 to 11…1).4) For each row, determine the output according to the device’s logic function and record it.5) The resulting table is the “truth table.”


Verification / Alternative check:
Compare the truth table with the Boolean expression or logic symbol. For example, an AND gate’s table will show a HIGH output only in the all-ones row; a NAND gate is the complement of that pattern.


Why Other Options Are Wrong:

  • input logic function: A vague phrase; not the standard name of the table.
  • Boolean constant: A single fixed value (0 or 1), not a table.
  • Boolean variable: A symbol that takes values 0 or 1, not a table of combinations.


Common Pitfalls:
Confusing the truth table with timing diagrams or Karnaugh maps. A truth table is purely combinational mapping, without timing information.


Final Answer:
truth table.

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