Boolean Algebra Blues

Project Gamma Workshop:
Boolean Algebra Blues
Saturday, February 7, 1998

(1) Have your group come up with an initial definition of "Boolean Algebra", after discussing it together for a minute or two. One of you should be in charge of getting a consensus, and another in charge of writing down your group's definition.

First Definition of Boolean Algebra:______________________________

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(2) (a) Go to http://barzilai.org/enrich/b
Explore the "Boolean Logic" link. (If you're curious, you can also find out about George Boole and his daughter Alicia Boole Scott). When you are done, hit the "back" button on your browser to return to the main page, and continue with (3) below.

(3) Without peeking at the next link, can your group come up with any applications of boolean logic? Relating to the internet?

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(4) From the main page (http://barzilai.org/enrich/b ) click on "Boolean Algebra used on the internet". Many of you are probably familiar with this. Have you thought of this as mathematics before? In what sense is it mathematics?

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(5) In this next step you will click on a link, "Karnough Maps" which is a page full of diagrams. You should:

Read through this page, carefully, top to bottom, left to right.

For each step, try to figure out: what is going on?
And what is being represented? How is it being represented?

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Other than as a neat puzzle, what possible use could these diagrams have?

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(6) In the last part of this workshop, you will apply these ideas. In fact, you'll get to design your own circuit!

To build up to that exercise, learn some more about Boolean Algebra and circuits through the links (introduction to Boolean Algebra and so on) to some online courses. Happy Exploring!

Then, when you're done, prove you're ready for the last workshop by taking the Boolean Algebra Quiz!

When you're done with all of that, let one of us know that you're ready for the last workshop.