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NAND as a universal gate

Digital Systems Lab · free online experiment, runs in your browser with no install or sign-up.

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Objective

Build NOT, AND and OR from NAND gates only and verify their truth tables.

Procedure

  1. Run and read the three probes (NOT A, A·B, A+B).

Theory

NOT A = NAND(A, A). AND = NOT(NAND(A, B)). OR = NAND(NOT A, NOT B) by De Morgan. Every Boolean function can be built from NAND gates alone.

Questions to answer

  1. Why are NAND gates cheap to build in CMOS?

Components used

3 × Logic probe / LED, 2 × Logic switch, 5 × NAND

About the model

Ideal wires; component models as listed in the catalogue (no parasitics, no temperature drift). Built without a breadboard so the schematic stays readable.

Open this experiment in the circuit simulator

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