Boolean Algebra/ Logic Gates/ Truth Tables

[Saturn_Europa1]

Does anyone use these expressions or find them useful in the course of your work. I am taking a grad class with Industrial Systems Engineering dept. at North Carolina State. Its a 10 week class. We are 4 weeks in and havent booted up RS Logix.

So far it has been an endless series of simplifying boolean expressions, deriving it into truth tables then into logic gate expressions. Its a little frustrating. Truth tables are useful up until about 3 or 4 inputs then it gets too complicated to use.

I personally find ladder logic far more intuitive and simpler then truth tables or logic gates.

I kind of feel like Daniel son on Karate Kid. Wax on Wax off.

I am starting to think a community college course would have been more useful.

Its a $1200 class so I am hoping everything will come together in the end.

 

[AustralIan]

It is about training your mind. Knowing that A' + B' = (AB)' is extremely useful! Anyone can cobble together some XIC and XIO gates to do what they want, but you need to train your mind to do more complex tasks, in order to make the simple stuff exactly that: simple.

Driving RSLogix is easy, developing correct and consitent algorithms is not.

Logic gates are more akin to Function Block Diagram programming. The same process and methodology though can be adapted to convert truth tables to ladder logic. Maybe ask your instructor if (s)he can use ladder logic for one of the examples instead of logic gates.

A Cause and Effects Matrix is a simplified truth table, and these are very important and widely used in defining functional safety requirements. If you get into functional safety, expect to double your salary.

Good luck with your course!

 

[Saturn_Europa1]

It is about training your mind. Knowing that A' + B' = (AB)' is extremely useful! Anyone can cobble together some XIC and XIO gates to do what they want, but you need to train your mind to do more complex tasks, in order to make the simple stuff exactly that: simple.

Driving RSLogix is easy, developing correct and consitent algorithms is not.

Logic gates are more akin to Function Block Diagram programming. The same process and methodology though can be adapted to convert truth tables to ladder logic. Maybe ask your instructor if (s)he can use ladder logic for one of the examples instead of logic gates.

A Cause and Effects Matrix is a simplified truth table, and these are very important and widely used in defining functional safety requirements. If you get into functional safety, expect to double your salary.

Good luck with your course!

Thanks! I actually just did a huge logic gate and about halfway through it thought to myself........"This looks like function block!"

I am new to programming and was hoping to dive right into it. I'll just have to be patient and absorb everything I can out of this course.

Thanks again for the advice.

 

[Peter Nachtwey]

It shouldn't take 10 weeks and $1200 to learn a few Boolean identities. You didn't mention Karnaugh maps. If you don't learn how to do those you are robbed.

Today many engineering tools will optimize Boolean expressions for you.

 

[Manglemender]

I wish that more programmers would start where your course starts; Ultimately, it will make you a better programmer because of the deeper understanding you will have and the thought processes that your brain is learning.

Yes, I do use cause and effect charts when designing complex safety systems.

Good luck with the course,

Nick

 

[bernie_carlton]

This book is pretty much a course in itself and entertaining.