Consensus theorem 2026-10-31
In Boolean algebra, the product is the consensus of and . If , either and , or and , so adding the consensus does not change the Boolean function. It can change a circuit's transient behavior: while switches, the two original product terms may briefly both be zero because of unequal propagation delays, but remains one. Keeping the logically redundant consensus product can therefore remove a static-one logic hazard.
The internal Boolean functions are , , , and . Put the falling edge of at . Since throughout, throughout. The remaining transitions, including every stated propagation delay, are
The inverter delays the rise of by ten nanoseconds, and the AND gate adds another ten. Consequently and are simultaneously zero for ten nanoseconds. This gap propagates through the two OR gates. The output has a static-one logic hazard: a low glitch on ns, despite its equal initial and final logical values.
Figure 1.
Delayed transitions produce a ten-nanosecond static-one logic hazard
. The shaded interval marks the incorrect output pulse. Exact ten-nanosecond gate delays are used, including propagation of the pulse. Details.
Static-one logic hazard 2026-10-31
A logic hazard in which an output intended to remain one briefly falls to zero. In a sum of products, cover every adjacent pair of one-cells in a Karnaugh map with a common product implicant. That term omits the changing input and remains one throughout the transition, holding the OR output high regardless of the other path delays. This argument assumes one input changes at a time and the circuit starts settled.
For a concrete circuit, let , , , and . Give every gate, including each inverter, propagation delay 10 ns. Starting from , lower at time zero. Signal falls at 10 ns, while rises only at 20 ns. Their gap passes through the two OR gates, making fall during 30–40 ns even though its steady-state value remains one.
Figure 1.
A static-one logic hazard from unequal inversion and product paths
. Details.
Adding the two consensus theorem products and preserves the Boolean function and holds the output high across every potentially hazardous single-input transition. The resulting five-term expression factors as . When a change of could leave the output steadily one, and keep the second product steadily one. In the zero-to-zero case with changing , and keep both output products zero. Changes of use only one polarity each and therefore have no opposite-polarity race. This factored implementation uses three OR gates, two AND gates and two NOT gates, with a 40 ns maximum input-to-output path at the stated delays.
Figure 2.
A shared-factor implementation of the consensus theorem correction
. Details.