LESSON 3: Karnaugh Map

Minimization

SIT 112_INTRODUCTION TO DIGITAL ELECTRONICS 1

 KARNAUGH MAP MINIMIZATION
• A Karnaugh map provides a systematic method for simplifying Boolean
expressions and, if properly used, will produce the simplest SOP or
POS expression possible, known as the minimum expression.
• As you have seen, the effectiveness of algebraic simplification depends
on your familiarity with all the laws, rules, and theorems of Boolean
algebra and on your ability to apply them.
• The Karnaugh map, on the other hand, provides a "cookbook" method
for simplification.
• A Karnaugh map is similar to a truth table because it presents all of
the possible values of input variables and the resulting output for each
value. Instead of being organized into columns and rows like a truth
table, the Karnaugh map is an array of cells in which each cell
represents a binary value of the input variables.

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• The cells are arranged in a way so that simplification of a
given expression is simply a matter of properly grouping the
cells.
• Karnaugh maps can be used for expressions with two,
three, four. and five variables.
• The number of cells in a Karnaugh map is equal to the total
number of possible input variable combinations as is the
number of rows in a truth table. ( 2 VARIABLE TRUTH
TABLE=4 Possible combinations = 4 rows/ 2 VARIABLES = 4
CELLS)
• For three variables, the number of cells is 23 = 8.
• For four variables, the number of cells is 24 = 16.

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The 3-Variable Karnaugh Map
• The 3-variable Karnaugh map is an array of eight cells. as shown in Table
(a). In this case, A, B, and C are used for the variables although other letters
could be used.
• Binary values of A and B are along the left side (notice the sequence) and
the values of C are across the top.
• The value of a given cell is the binary values of A and B at the left in the
same row combined with the value of C at the top in the same column. For
example, the cell in the upper left corner has a binary value of 000 and the
cell in the lower right corner has a binary value of 101.
• Table( b) shows the standard product terms that are represented by each
cell in the Karnaugh map.
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 0 1 0 1
AB C AB C
A’B’C’ A’B’C
00 00

A’BC’ A’BC
01 01
ABC’ ABC
11 11
AB’C’ AB’C
10 10

(a) (b)

A 3-variable Karnaugh map showing product terms

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Cell Adjacency
• The cells in a Karnaugh map are arranged so that there is only a single
variable change between adjacent cells.
• Adjacency is defined by a single variable change.
• This ensures that physical neighbours in the array are logical
neighbours as well (i.e neighbouring bit patterns are nearly the same,
differing by only 1 bit)
• In the 3-variable map the 010 cell is adjacent to the 000 cell, the 011
cell, and the 110 cell. The 010 cell is not adjacent to the 001 cell, the
111 cell, the 100 cell, or the 101 cell.

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Adjacent cells on a Karnaugh map are those
that differ by only one variable.
Arrows point between adjacent cells

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• This one bit change applies at the edges too.
• So the cells in the same row on the left and right edges of the array
also differ by one bit.

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Rules for the K-map
• Each cell with a 1 must be included in at least one group
• Try to form the largest possible groups
• Try to end with as few groups as possible
• Groups may be in sizes that are powers of 2 i.e 20 , 21, 22,23,24 ……
• Groups may be square or rectangular ONLY (including wrap around at the grid
edges). No diagonals or zigzags can be used to form groups
• The larger the group is the more redundant inputs there are
• Allow overlapping and wrap around
• Group may not include any cell containing a zero
• We can form groups of 1’s and don’t cares. However, we can not have groups of
don’t cares alone (X or )
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• Fold up the corners of the map below like it
is a handkerchief to make the four cells
physically adjacent. (WRAPAROUND)

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Redundant inputs
• If there are two neighbouring 1’s in the grid, it means that the input
bit change between the two cells has no effect on the output and
thus there is a redundancy.
• A group of 1 has no redundant input
• A group of 2 has 1 redundant input
• A group of 4 has 2 redundant inputs
• A group of 8 has 3 redundant inputs
• A group of 16 has 4 redundant inputs

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Looping
• The expression for the output can be simplified by properly combining
those squares in the k-map that contain 1.
• The process of combining these 1’s is called looping.
• Looping a pair of adjacent 1’s in a k-map eliminates the variable that
appears in complemented and uncomplemented form
• When a variable appears in both complemented and uncomplemented
form within a loop, that variable is eliminated from the expression.
• Variables that are the same for all squares of the loop
must appear in the final expression

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 The steps below are followed in using the K-map
method for simplifying a Boolean expression:

• Step 1 Construct the K map and place 1s in those squares

corresponding to the 1s in the truth table. Place 0s in the
other squares.
• Step 2 Examine the map for adjacent 1s and loop those 1s
that are not adjacent to any other 1s. These are called
isolated 1s.
• Step 3 Next, look for those 1s that are adjacent to only one
other 1. Loop any pair containing such a 1.

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• Step 4 Loop any octet even if it contains some 1s that
have already been looped.
• Step 5 Loop any quad that contains one or more 1s
that have not already been looped, making sure to
use the minimum number of loops.
• Step 6 Loop any pairs necessary to include any 1s that
have not yet been looped, making sure to use the
minimum number of loops.
• Step 7 Form the OR sum of all the terms generated by
each loop.

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Example
• We will assume that the map was obtained from a truth table

AB CD 00 01 11 10 A’B’CD’ (No redundancy-

0 0 0 1 ALL inputs included)
00

0 1 1 0
01
0 1 1 0 BD (2 redundant
11 inputs- A & C)
0 0 1 0
10 ACD (1 redundant input-B)

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X = A’B’CD’ + ACD + BD

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Simplify x in the given K-map
AB\CD 00 01 11 10
00 0 0 0 1
01 0 1 1 0
11 0 1 1 0
10 1 0 0 0

LOOP 1(RED)= A’B’CD’

LOOP 2 (GREEN)= AB’C’D’
LOOP 3(TAN)= BD

X= A’B’CD’ + AB’C’D’ + BD

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Simplify Y in the given K-map
AB\CD 00 01 11 10
00 X 1 1 X
01 0 X 1 0
11 0 0 1 0
10 0 0 1 0

LOOP 1(BLUE)= A’B’

LOOP2 (GREEN)= CD

Y= A’B’ + CD

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Simplify Y in the given K-map
AB\CD 00 01 11 10
00 0 1 X 1
01 1 X X X
11 0 X X X
10 0 0 X 0

LOOP 1 (BLUE)= A’B

LOOP 2(GREEN)= A’D
LOOP 3(YELLOW)= A’C

Y= A’B +A’D + A’C

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Use a K map to simplify y = C’(A’ B’ D’ + D) + AB’C +
D’

Solution
• Multiply out the first term to get y = A’ B’ C’ D’ +
C’D + AB’C + D which is now in SOP form.
• For the term A’ B’ C’ D’ , simply put a 1 in the A’
B’ C’ D’ square of the K map (Figure 4-17).
• For the term C’D, place a 1 in all squares with
C’D in their labels, that is A’ B’ C’D, ABC’D, A’BC’D,
A B’ C’D,

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• For the AB’C term, place a 1 in all squares that have
AB’C in their labels, that is A B’ C D’, A B’ C D
• For the D’ term, place a 1 in all squares that have a D’
in their labels, that is, all squares in the leftmost and
rightmost columns.
• The remaining cell put zeros

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C’

D’
AB CD 00 01 11 10
1 1 0 1
00

1 1 0 1
01
AB’
1 1 0 1
11
1 1 1 1
10 Y=AB’+ C’+ D’

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Converting a Boolean Function From Truth Table to SOP Algebraic
Equation

A B C Output (X)
0 0 0 0
0 0 1 0
0 1 0 0 Express the boolean
0 1 1 1 expression for X in
1 0 0 0 the following truth
1 0 1 1 table?
1 1 0 1
1 1 1 1

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• Write a Boolean product expression for each row where the
output column equals 1
• In simple terms, the output is true (or high) if any of the
following statements are true:
• B and C are true, A is NOT true..
• A and C are true, B is NOT true.
• A and B are true. C is NOT true.
• A,B and C are true
Using the chart in the example above, the Boolean
expressions would be:
A'BC, AB’C, ABC’ ABC
• Join the product expressions by adding them with a + operator.
Continuing the example, the Boolean equation would be
OUTPUT (X) = A'BC + AB’C + ABC’ + ABC

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K-MAP
• Consider the expression Z=f(A,B)=A’B’ + AB’ + A’B
plotted on the Karnaugh map:

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• Pairs of 1's are grouped as shown above, and the simplified
answer is obtained by using the following steps:

Note that two groups can be formed for the example given
above, bearing in mind that the largest rectangular clusters that
can be made consist of two 1s. Notice that a 1 can belong to
more than one group.

• The first group labelled I, consists of two 1s which correspond to

A = 0, B = 0 and A = 1, B = 0. Put in another way, all squares in
this example that correspond to the area of the map where B = 0
contains 1s, independent of the value of A. So when B = 0 the
output is 1. The expression of the output will contain the term B’

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• For group labelled II corresponds to the area of the map where A = 0.
The group can therefore be defined as A’. This implies that when A = 0
the output is 1. The output is therefore 1 whenever B = 0 and A = 0
• Hence the simplified answer is
Z=A’+B’

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• Minimise the following problems using the Karnaugh
maps method

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• The minimised result obtained is

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Other Examples

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