History of Computers - Boolean Logic
Page created by Kate Clarke
Overview
Boolean Logic, or Boolean Algebra, was first conceived by George Boole in 1847. Boolean Logic is a logical calculus that only has two values "true" or "false." During the time when Boole was defining his Boolean Logic, Charles Babbage was developing his analytical engine.[1] So, the Boolean Logic has been in use with the ancestor of the digital computer. This logic is still an important tool used in search engines and databases for modern day operation.
Precisely, Boolean Logic is defined as a logical system of operators - 'AND', 'OR' and 'NOT', and is a way of comparing individual bits. These connectors or operators are now used in computer construction, switching circuits, etc. Boolean logic has many applications in electronics, computer hardware and software, and is the base of all modern digital electronics. Many years after Boolean Logic was created, in 1938, Claude Shannon showed how electric circuits with relays were a model for Boolean logic. This fact soon proved enormously consequential with the emergence of the electronic computer.
Boolean logic works using the concept of AND, OR, and NOT.
AND: The output value is 1 only if both the input values are 1.
OR: The output value is 1 if at least 1 of the input values is 1.
NOT: Used only with 1 input value as opposed to 2, if the input is 1, the output is 0. If the input is 0, the output is 1.
While these make up the base of Boolean logic, it also includes various combinations of these three, such as XOR, XAND, NOR, and NAND, which are also commonly used.
Significance
Boolean Logic is significant to computer history because it contributed to the circuitry system of the modern day computer. It is also used in search engines, and was important 'logic' technology necessary for computer development. This logic was also created around the same time as the analytical engine, and therefore was able to be integrated into the system of what would eventually turn into our modern day, digital computers.
External Links
- http://www.history-timelines.org.uk/events-timelines/07-computer-history-timeline.htm
- http://www.buzzle.com/articles/boolean-origination-history-and-origin-of-boolean-logic.html
- http://www1.fccj.edu/jdebo/new_page_3.htm
- http://www.webopedia.com/TERM/B/Boolean_logic.html
- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boolean_logic
References
- ↑ Today's computer.
