Q6: PoS & SoP

Time Estimate15-30 minutes   Grade Impact0.5%   DueSep 21 @ 12pm  

Objective
Reinforce an understanding of PoS and SoP.

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Free Response Questions

  1. What is the purpose of minterms and maxterms?

  2. How does the Principle of Duality apply to the relationship between SoP and PoS?

  3. Do you personally prefer PoS or SoP? Why?

Multiple Choice Questions

  1. Which statement best defines a minterm for n Boolean variables?

    • A product (AND) term that is true for exactly one input combination.
    • A sum (OR) term that is true for exactly one input combination.
    • Any product term with at least one complemented variable.
    • Any canonical PoS clause.
  2. For four variables, how many distinct minterms exist?

    • 8
    • 16
    • 15
    • 7
  3. A canonical Product of Sums (PoS) form is composed of:

    • OR clauses (each a maxterm) multiplied (ANDed) together, each clause false for exactly one input row.
    • AND clauses (each a minterm) added (ORed) together, each clause true for exactly one input row.
    • XOR clauses combined to cover all 1 outputs.
    • NAND gates only.
  4. If $F = \sum m(1,3,4)$, which of the following is an equivalent statement in terms of maxterms?

    • $F = \Pi M(0,2,5,6,7) $
    • $F = \Pi M(0,2,5,6) $
    • $F = \Pi M(0,2,5,6,7,…)$ (incomplete)
    • $F = \sum m(0,2,5,6) $
  5. Which of the following is true about maxterms?

    • A maxterm is an OR clause that evaluates to 0 for exactly one combination of inputs.
    • A maxterm is an AND clause that evaluates to 1 for exactly one combination of inputs.
    • Maxterms are used only in SoP representations.
    • A single maxterm can represent multiple input rows where the function is 0.
  6. Which of the following is true about minterms?

    • A minterm is an AND clause that evaluates to 1 for exactly one combination of inputs.
    • A minterm is an OR clause that evaluates to 0 for exactly one combination of inputs.
    • Minterms are used to build canonical PoS expressions.
    • A single minterm can represent multiple input rows where the function is 1.
  7. Which of the following is a minterm for variables $x_1, x_2, x_3$ when $x_1=1,\ x_2=0,\ x_3=1$?

    • $x_1\overline{x_2}x_3$
    • $\overline{x_1}x_2\overline{x_3}$
    • $x_1 + \overline{x_2} + x_3$
    • $\overline{x_1}+x_2+\overline{x_3}$