Boolean Symbols and Expressions

Boolean algebra is a branch of mathematics that deals with variables that have two distinct values: typically represented as true ($1$) and false ($0$).

Developed by mathematician George Boole in the mid-19th century, it provides a formal framework for analyzing and simplifying logical expressions and reasoning about logical operations. Boolean algebra is foundational in computer science, digital circuit design, and logic.

Boolean expressions are mathematical expressions that involve Boolean variables (= bits) and logical operations. They can represent logical propositions and can be evaluated to yield a Boolean value (true or false). A Boolean expression can be simple or complex, depending on the number of variables and operations involved.

On the next slide, we will list the Boolean expressions we use to represent the logic gates we introduced above.