Karnaugh Maps for

Simplification

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Karnaugh Maps

• Boolean algebra helps us simplify expressions and circuits

• Karnaugh Map: A graphical technique for simplifying a Boolean expression

into either form:
– minimal sum of products (MSP)
– minimal product of sums (MPS)

• Goal of the simplification.

– There are a minimal number of product/sum terms
– Each term has a minimal number of literals

• Circuit-wise, this leads to a minimal two-level implementation

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Re-arranging the Truth Table
• A two-variable function has four possible minterms. We can re-arrange
these minterms into a Karnaugh map

x y minterm Y
0 0 x’y’ 0 1
0 1 x’y 0 x’y’ x’y
1 0 xy’ X
1 xy’ xy
1 1 xy

• Now we can easily see which minterms contain common literals

– Minterms on the left
Y and right sides contain y’ and y respectively
– Minterms in the0top and
1 bottom rows containY’ x’ and
Y x respectively
0 x’y’ x’y X’ x’y’ x’y
X
1 xy’ xy X xy’ xy

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Karnaugh Map Simplifications

• Imagine a two-variable sum of minterms:

x’y’ + x’y

• Both of these minterms appear in the top row of a Karnaugh map, which
means that they both contain the literal x’
Y
x’y’ x’y
X xy’ xy

x’y’ + x’y = x’(y’ + y) [ Distributive ]

• What happens if you simplify this expression using Boolean algebra?
= x’  1 [ y + y’ = 1 ]
= x’ [x1=x]

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More Two-Variable Examples

• Another example expression is x’y + xy

– Both minterms appear in the right side, where y is uncomplemented
– Thus, we can reduce x’y + xy to just y
Y
x’y’ x’y
X xy’ xy

• How about x’y’ + x’y + xy?

– We have x’y’ + x’y in the top row, corresponding to x’
– There’s also x’y + xy in the right side, corresponding to y
Y
– This whole expression can be reduced to x’ + y
x’y’ x’y
X xy’ xy

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A Three-Variable Karnaugh Map
• For a three-variable expression with inputs x, y, z, the arrangement of
minterms is more tricky:
YZ YZ
00 01 11 10 00 01 11 10
0 x’y’z’ x’y’z x’yz x’yz’ 0 m0 m1 m3 m2
X X
1 xy’z’ xy’z xyz xyz’ 1 m4 m5 m7 m6

Y Y
• Another way to label the K-map (use whichever you like):
x’y’z’ x’y’z x’yz x’yz’ m0 m1 m3 m2
X xy’z’ xy’z xyz xyz’ X m4 m5 m7 m6
Z Z

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Why the funny ordering?
• With this ordering, any group of 2, 4 or 8 adjacent squares on the map
contains common literals that can be factored out

Y x’y’z + x’yz
x’y’z’ x’y’z x’yz x’yz’ = x’z(y’ + y)
X xy’z’ xy’z xyz xyz’ = x’z  1
Z = x’z

• “Adjacency” includes wrapping around the left and right sides:

Y x’y’z’ + xy’z’ + x’yz’ + xyz’
x’y’z’ x’y’z x’yz x’yz’ = z’(x’y’ + xy’ + x’y + xy)
X xy’z’ xy’z xyz xyz’ = z’(y’(x’ + x) + y(x’ + x))
Z
= z’(y’+y)
= z’

• We’ll use this property of adjacent squares to do our simplifications.

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K-maps From Truth Tables

• We can fill in the K-map directly from a truth table

– The output in row i of the table goes into square mi of the K-map
– Remember that the rightmost columns of the K-map are “switched”

Y
x y z f(x,y,z) m0 m1 m3 m2
0 0 0 0 X m4 m5 m7 m6
0 0 1 1 Z
0 1 0 0
0 1 1 0
Y
0 1 0 0
X 0 1 1 1
Z
1 0 0 0
1 0 1 1
1 1 0 1
1 1 1 1
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Reading the MSP from the K-map

• You can find the minimal SoP expression

– Each rectangle corresponds to one product term
– The product is determined by finding the common literals in that
rectangle

Y
0 1 0 0
X 0 1 1 1
Z
Y
x’y’z’ x’y’z x’yz x’yz’
X xy’z’ xy’z xyz xyz’
Z
y’z xy

F(x,y,z)= y’z + xy
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Grouping the Minterms Together

• The most difficult step is grouping together all the 1s in the K-map
– Make rectangles around groups of one, two, four or eight 1s
– All of the 1s in the map should be included in at least one rectangle
– Do not include any of the 0s
– Each group corresponds to one product term

Y
0 1 0 0
X 0 1 1 1
Z

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For the Simplest Result

• Make as few rectangles as possible, to minimize the number of products

in the final expression.
• Make each rectangle as large as possible, to minimize the number of
literals in each term.
• Rectangles can be overlapped, if that makes them larger.

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K-map Simplification of SoP Expressions

• Let’s consider simplifying f(x,y,z) = xy + y’z + xz

• You should convert the expression into a sum of minterms form,

– The easiest way to do this is to make a truth table for the function, and
then read off the minterms
– You can either write out the literals or use the minterm shorthand

• Here is the truth table and sum of minterms for our example:

x y z f(x,y,z)
0 0 0 0
0 0 1 1
0 1 0 0
0 1 1 0 f(x,y,z) = x’y’z + xy’z + xyz’ + xyz
1 0 0 0 = m1 + m5 + m6 + m7
1 0 1 1
1 1 0 1
1 1 1 1
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Unsimplifying Expressions

• You can also convert the expression to a sum of minterms with Boolean
algebra
– Apply the distributive law in reverse to add in missing variables.
– Very few people actually do this, but it’s occasionally useful.

xy + y’z + xz = (xy  1) + (y’z  1) + (xz  1)

= (xy  (z’ + z)) + (y’z  (x’ + x)) + (xz  (y’ + y))
= (xyz’ + xyz) + (x’y’z + xy’z) + (xy’z + xyz)
= xyz’ + xyz + x’y’z + xy’z
= m 1 + m 5 + m6 + m 7

• In both cases, we’re actually “unsimplifying” our example expression

– The resulting expression is larger than the original one!
– But having all the individual minterms makes it easy to combine them
together with the K-map
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Making the Example K-map

• In our example, we can write f(x,y,z) in two equivalent ways

f(x,y,z) = x’y’z + xy’z + xyz’ + xyz f(x,y,z) = m1 + m5 + m6 + m7

Y Y
x’y’z’ x’y’z x’yz x’yz’ m0 m1 m3 m2
X xy’z’ xy’z xyz xyz’ X m4 m5 m7 m6
Z Z

Y
• In either case, the resulting
0 1 K-map
0 is shown
0 below
X 0 1 1 1
Z

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Practice K-map 1

• Simplify the sum of minterms m1 + m3 + m5 + m6

X
Z

Y
m0 m1 m3 m2
X m4 m5 m7 m6
Z

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Solutions for Practice K-map 1

• Here is the filled in K-map, with all groups shown

– The magenta and green groups overlap, which makes each of them as
large as possible
– Minterm m6 is in a group all by its lonesome
Y
0 1 1 0
X 0 1 0 1
Z

• The final MSP here is x’z + y’z + xyz’

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K-maps can be tricky!

• There may not necessarily be a unique MSP. The K-map below yields two
valid and equivalent MSPs, because there are two possible ways to
include minterm m7

Y
0 1 0 1
X 0 1 1 1
Z

Y Y
0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1
X 0 1 1 1 X 0 1 1 1
Z Z
y’z + yz’ + xy y’z + yz’ + xz

• Remember that overlapping groups is possible, as shown above

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Four-variable K-maps – f(W,X,Y,Z)
• We can do four-variable expressions too!
– The minterms in the third and fourth columns, and in the third and
fourth rows, are switched around.
– Again, this ensures that adjacent squares have common literals

• Grouping minterms is similar to the three-variable case, but:

– You can have rectangular groups of 1, 2, 4, 8 or 16 minterms
– You can wrap around all four sides 18
Four-variable K-maps

Y Y
w’x’y’z’ w’x’y’z w’x’yz w’x’yz’ m0 m1 m3 m2
w’xy’z’ w’xy’z w’xyz w’xyz’ m4 m5 m7 m6
X X
wxy’z’ wxy’z wxyz wxyz’ m12 m13 m15 m14
W W
wx’y’z’ wx’y’z wx’yz wx’yz’ m8 m9 m11 m10
Z Z

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Example: Simplify m0+m2+m5+m8+m10+m13
• The expression is already a sum of minterms, so here’s the K-map:

Y Y
1 0 0 1 m0 m1 m3 m2
0 1 0 0 m4 m5 m7 m6
X X
0 1 0 0 m12 m13 m15 m14
W W
1 0 0 1 m8 m9 m11 m10
Z Z

Y Y
• We can1 make
0 the
0 following
1 w’x’y’z’ w’x’y’z
groups, resulting w’x’yzx’z’w’x’yz’
in the MSP + xy’z
0 1 0 0 w’xy’z’ w’xy’z w’xyz w’xyz’
X X
0 1 0 0 wxy’z’ wxy’z wxyz wxyz’
W W
1 0 0 1 wx’y’z’ wx’y’z wx’yz wx’yz’
Z Z

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Five-variable K-maps – f(V,W,X,Y,Z)

V= 0 V= 1

Y Y
m0 m1 m3 m2 m16 m17 m19 m8
m4 m5 m7 m6 m20 m21 m23 m22
X X
m12 m13 m15 m14 m28 m29 m31 m30
W W
m8 m9 m11 m10 m24 m25 m27 m26
Z Z
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Simplify f(V,W,X,Y,Z)=Σm(0,1,4,5,6,11,12,14,16,20,22,28,30,31)

1 1 1

1 1 1 1 1

1 1 1 1 1

V= 0 V= 1

f = XZ’ Σm(4,6,12,14,20,22,28,30)
+ V’W’Y’ Σm(0,1,4,5)
+ W’Y’Z’ Σm(0,4,16,20)
+ VWXY Σm(30,31)
+ V’WX’YZ m11
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PoS Optimization

• Maxterms are grouped to find minimal PoS expression

yz
00 01 11 10

0 x +y+z x+y+z’ x+y’+z’ x+y’+z

x
1 x’ +y+z x’+y+z’ x’+y’+z’ x’+y’+z

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PoS Optimization

• F(W,X,Y,Z)= ∏ M(0,1,2,4,5)

yz
00 01 11 10

0 x +y+z x+y+z’ x+y’+z’ x+y’+z

x
1 x’ +y+z x’+y+z’ x’+y’+z’ x’+y’+z

F(W,X,Y,Z)= Y . (X + Z)
yz
00 01 11 10

0 0 0 1 0
x
1 0 0 1 1

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PoS Optimization from SoP

F(W,X,Y,Z)= Σm(0,1,2,5,8,9,10)
= ∏ M(3,4,6,7,11,12,13,14,15)

F(W,X,Y,Z)= (W’ + X’)(Y’ + Z’)(X’ +

0
Z)
0 0 0
Or,
0 0 0 0
F(W,X,Y,Z)= X’Y’ + X’Z’ + W’Y’Z
0
Which one is the minimal one?

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SoP Optimization from PoS

F(W,X,Y,Z)= ∏ M(0,2,3,4,5,6)
= Σm(1,7,8,9,10,11,12,13,14,15)

1
1 F(W,X,Y,Z)= W + XYZ + X’Y’Z

1 1 1 1

1 1 1 1

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I don’t care!

• You don’t always need all 2n input combinations in an n-variable function

– If you can guarantee that certain input combinations never occur
– If some outputs aren’t used in the rest of the circuit

• We mark don’t-care outputs in truth tables and K-maps with Xs.

x y z f(x,y,z)
0 0 0 0
0 0 1 1
0 1 0 X
0 1 1 0
1 0 0 0
1 0 1 1
1 1 0 X
1 1 1 1

• Within a K-map, each X can be considered as either 0 or 1. You should pick

the interpretation that allows for the most simplification.

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Practice K-map

• Find a MSP for

f(w,x,y,z) = m(0,2,4,5,8,14,15), d(w,x,y,z) = m(7,10,13)

This notation means that input combinations wxyz = 0111, 1010 and 1101
(corresponding to minterms m7, m10 and m13) are unused.

Y
1 0 0 1
1 1 x 0
X
0 x 1 1
W
1 0 0 x
Z

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Solutions for Practice K-map

• Find a MSP for:

f(w,x,y,z) = m(0,2,4,5,8,14,15), d(w,x,y,z) = m(7,10,13)

Y
1 1
1 1 x
X
x 1 1
W
1 x
Z

f(w,x,y,z)= x’z’ + w’xy’ + wxy

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K-map Summary

• K-maps are an alternative to algebra for simplifying expressions

– The result is a MSP/MPS, which leads to a minimal two-level circuit

– It’s easy to handle don’t-care conditions
– K-maps are really only good for manual simplification of small
expressions...

• Things to keep in mind:

– Remember the correct order of minterms/maxterms on the K-map

– When grouping, you can wrap around all sides of the K-map, and your
groups can overlap
– Make as few rectangles as possible, but make each of them as large as
possible. This leads to fewer, but simpler, product terms
– There may be more than one valid solution

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