Boolean logic

Boolean Logic is a subfield of algebra in mathematics and is named after the mathematician George Boole. It is a form of mathematical logic in which all variables are either "true" or "false", or "on" or "off". It is used extensively in computer science, electrical engineering and philosophy.

History

George Boole introduced Boolean logic in the mid-19th century. He developed an algebraic system that was capable of binary or two-valued decisions, a concept that was revolutionary at the time. This system later became known as Boolean algebra.

Principles

Boolean logic is based on binary variables, which can take two possible values: 0 and 1, often interpreted as false and true respectively. The basic operations of Boolean logic are conjunction (AND), disjunction (OR) and negation (NOT).

Conjunction

The AND operation, also known as conjunction, takes two Boolean inputs and returns true if both inputs are true.

Disjunction

The OR operation, also known as disjunction, takes two Boolean inputs and returns true if at least one of the inputs is true.

Negation

The NOT operation, also known as negation, takes one Boolean input and returns the opposite value.

Applications

Boolean logic has a wide range of applications, particularly in computer science and electrical engineering. It is fundamental to the design of digital circuits, computer programming, database queries, and search engine algorithms.

See also

• Binary number
• Logic gate
• Truth table
• Boolean algebra (structure)

References

This Eastern European history-related article is a stub.