[Math] Convert the following expression into NOR-only

boolean-algebralogic

F = (A + B)(B'C)(A' + C')

I have to convert this expression using only NOR gates. I am stuck on the format of this expression since it is not in SoP form.

I tried to distribute (B'C) into the expression and I got:

(B'C)+(B'A)+(CA')

Then I took DeMorgan's Law of the expression and i got:

(B+C')(B+A')(C'+A)

My Question is, can I now take this expression and apply double negate it so I can use NOR gates? Is this correct?

$$
\overline{\overline{(B+C')}+\overline{(B+A')}+\overline{(C'+A)}}
$$

Best Answer

Yes, that's right:

(B+C')(B+A')(C'+A) = (Double negation)

[(B+C')(B+A')(C'+A)]'' = (DeMorgan)

[(B+C')'+(B+A')'+(C'+A)']'

... which is exactly your

$$ \overline{\overline{(B+C')}+\overline{(B+A')}+\overline{(C'+A)}} $$

Also, if you can't work with C', and have to work with C (that is, if you can't use Not's), use the fact that:

C' = C NOR C

... Unfortunately what you did at the beginning is not right ...

(A + B)(B'C)(A' + C') does not work out to

(B'C)+(B'A)+(CA')

and you certainly can't just negate that to do a DeMorgan on that to get:

(B+C')(B+A')(C'+A)

since you'd just be adding a negation to the whole expression out of nowhere!

Instead:

(A + B)(B'C)(A' + C') = (Association)

(A + B)B'C(A' + C') = Reduction x 2

AB'CA' = False!

And an easy NOR formula for that is: NOR(A,A') = NOR(A,NOR(A,A))

I wonder though ... should that initial expression maybe be:

F = (A + B)(B'+C)(A' + C') ?

Because then you can do what I did above:

(A + B)(B'+C)(A' + C') =

[(A + B)(B'+C)(A' + C')]'' =

[(A + B)'+(B'+C)'+(A' + C')']' =

NOR(NOR(A,B'),NOR(B',C),NOR(A',C')) = (if needed)

NOR(NOR(A,NOR(B,B)),NOR(NOR(B,B),C),NOR(NOR(A,A),NOR(C,C)))

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