logic gate

electronic circuit used for Boolean functions

A logic gate performs a logical operation on one or more logic inputs and produces a single logic output. The logic normally performed is Boolean logic and is most commonly found in digital circuits. Logic gates are primarily implemented electronically using diodes or transistors, but can also be constructed using electromagnetic relays, fluidics, optics, or even mechanical elements.
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Noun
1. a computer circuit with several inputs but only one output that can be activated by particular combinations of inputs
(synonym) gate
(hypernym) computer circuit
(hyponym) AND circuit, AND gate

An integrated circuit or other device whose inputs and outputs represent Boolean or binary values as voltages (TTL uses 0V for False or 0, +5V for True or 1). Different gates implement different Boolean functions: AND, OR, NAND, NOR (these may take two or more inputs) NOT (one input), XOR (two inputs). NOT, NAND and NOR are often constructed from single transistors and the other gates made from combinations of these basic ones. These functions are all combinatorial logic functions, i.e. their outputs depend only on their inputs and there is no internal state. Gates with state, such as latches and flip-flops, are constructed by feeding some of their outputs back to their inputs.
(1995-02-08)