2024 Faculty Courses School of Computing Undergraduate major in Computer Science
Switching Circuit Theory
- Academic unit or major
- Undergraduate major in Computer Science
- Instructor(s)
- Yang Cao
- Class Format
- Lecture (Face-to-face)
- Media-enhanced courses
- -
- Day of week/Period
(Classrooms) - 7-8 Tue / 7-8 Fri
- Class
- -
- Course Code
- CSC.T252
- Number of credits
- 200
- Course offered
- 2024
- Offered quarter
- 3Q
- Syllabus updated
- Mar 17, 2025
- Language
- Japanese
Syllabus
Course overview and goals
This course focuses on switching circuit theory that is a fundamental theory for designing and analyzing digital circuits.
It is very important to understand that computer hardware is inseparable from software in the field of computer science. Switching circuit theory is a foundation for designing advanced digital circuits, such as processors, and analyzing the behavior of them. To comprehend the behavior of computer hardware also leads to an essential understanding of that of software.
This course covers not only switching circuit theory such as Boolean algebra, Boolean functions, and the methodologies to design combinational and sequential logic circuits, but also a hardware description language which is used for designing logic circuits by software.
Course description and aims
At the end of this course, students will:
- Understand the principles and properties of Boolean algebra and Boolean functions required to understand logic circuits,
- Understand the principles of combinational logic circuits and sequential logic circuits, and the methodologies to design them, and
- Design logic circuits with a hardware description language.
Keywords
Boolean algebra, Boolean function, combinational logic circuit, sequential logic circuit, hardware description language
Competencies
- Specialist skills
- Intercultural skills
- Communication skills
- Critical thinking skills
- Practical and/or problem-solving skills
Class flow
In the first 80% of each class, the details of topics are described. The remainder will be spent for exercises and their explanation to help students’ comprehension. Two classes will be for exercises at a computer room.
Course schedule/Objectives
| Course schedule | Objectives | |
|---|---|---|
| Class 1 | Boolean algebra, Boolean expression and its duality | Understand Boolean algebra, logical expression and its duality principle |
| Class 2 | Inclusion relation, maxterm expression, and minterm expression of Boolean functions | Understand the inclusion relation of Boolean functions, and the principle of maxterm and minterm expressions |
| Class 3 | NAND form, NOR form, Reed-Muller expansion, Boolean algebraic equation | Understand Boolean expressions by all-NAND, all-NOR operators, the Reed-Muller expansion, and Boolean algebraic equation |
| Class 4 | Unate function, monotonic function, dual function, symmetric function, linear function, threshold function | Understand the properties of unate, monotonic, dual, symmetric, linear, threshold functions |
| Class 5 | Designing combinational logic circuits with the Karnaugh map | Understand how to design combinational logic circuits with the Karnaugh map |
| Class 6 | Designing combinational logic circuits by the Quine-McCluskey algorithm | Understand how to design combinational logic circuits by the Quine-McCluskey algorithm |
| Class 7 | Programing combinational logic circuits with a hardware description language | Understand how to write combinational logic circuits with a hardware description language |
| Class 8 | Organization of sequential logic circuits | Understand the mechanism of sequential logic circuits |
| Class 9 | State transition and assignment for sequential logic circuits | Understand the state transition and assignment of sequential logic circuits |
| Class 10 | Designing sequential logic circuits with flip-flops | Understand how to implement sequential logic circuits with flip-flops |
| Class 11 | Minimizing sequential logic circuits by identifying equivalent states | Understand the notion of an equivalent state for minimizing sequential logic circuits |
| Class 12 | Minimizing sequential logic circuits by identifying a compatible state set | Understand the notion of a compatible state set for minimizing sequential logic circuits |
| Class 13 | Logic circuits with special functions | Understand some functional logic circuits and complex systems with them |
| Class 14 | Programing sequential logic circuits with a hardware description language | Understand how to write sequential logic circuits with a hardware description language |
Study advice (preparation and review)
To enhance effective learning, students are encouraged to spend approximately 100 minutes preparing for class and another 100 minutes reviewing class content afterwards (including assignments) for each class.
They should do so by referring to textbooks and other course material.
Textbook(s)
A textbook in English will be introduced by instructors.
Reference books, course materials, etc.
Tsutomu Sasao, "SWITCHING THEORY FOR LOGIC SYNTHESIS", Kluwer Academic Publishers, 1999
Evaluation methods and criteria
Students will be assessed on their understanding of principles of Boolean algebra, Boolean functions, combinational logic circuits, and sequential logic circuits. Students’ course scores are based on a midterm assignment (50%) and a final exam (50%).
Related courses
- CSC.T341 ： Computer Logic Design
- CSC.T363 ： Computer Architecture
- CSC.T433 ： Advanced Computer Architecture
Prerequisites
No prerequisites are necessary.
Other
The number of students may need to be limited. In that case, the students of computer science department have a priority.