Question

What is a NOR gate and its logic behavior.

Answer 1

A NOR gate is a fundamental digital logic gate that performs a specific logical operation based on its input signals. It is a type of universal gate, meaning that any other type of logic gate can be created using only NOR gates. The NOR gate has two or more input terminals and one output terminal.

The logic behavior of a NOR gate is based on the Boolean logic operation of NOR, which stands for "NOT OR." The NOR gate's output is the inverse (complement) of the logical OR operation applied to its input signals. In other words, a NOR gate produces a HIGH output (usually denoted as '1') only when none of its input signals are HIGH ('1'). If any of its input signals are HIGH, the output becomes LOW ('0').

Here's the truth table that represents the logic behavior of a two-input NOR gate:

Input A    Input B    Output
0    0    1
0    1    0
1    0    0
1    1    0

In symbols, the logic operation of a NOR gate can be represented as follows:

Output = NOT (Input A OR Input B)

NOR gates are often used in digital circuits for various purposes, including logical operations, signal inversion, and as building blocks for more complex digital components. When multiple NOR gates are combined, they can create various digital circuits, such as flip-flops, memory cells, and even entire processors.