Switches - preset/clear features

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The discussion revolves around understanding the behavior of switches with preset and clear features in specific questions from a textbook. The clear feature is described as overwriting any input and setting the output to 0, but confusion arises in question 35 where the output state is uncertain due to the lack of prior state information. The participants clarify that "do not clear" means to maintain the current state, and the active low nature of the clear input affects the output accordingly. For questions 33 and 34, the logic of how the clear input operates is examined, leading to the conclusion that the output remains uncertain without prior state knowledge. Overall, the key takeaway is the importance of understanding how the clear feature interacts with input states in determining output.
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I have attached the switch. I thought I understood the 3 problems, until I got to question 35.
My textbook says that the clear feature overwrites any input and sets the output to 0. So that seems to be the case with 33 and 34. But why not question 35?
 

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R is 1 (do not clear) all the time in 35. Why do you expect any reset?
 
In question 35 the correct answer is that Q/Y will toggle. However that's not one of the multiple choice answers. The state of Q isn't specified before T falls so it's state afterwards is also unspecified. So "uncertain" is the answer.
 
I think my thinking is wrong on these 3 questions. I'll start with the first question on the attached pic.
Here is what I'm thinking:
For question 33:
X=0 R=0, then R changes to 1. Basically, Clear changes from 1 to 0.Which means do NOT clear. Thus Q=1 (the inverse of X)?
This is obviously not the answer. Which part of my logic is erroneous?
 
charlies1902 said:
I think my thinking is wrong on these 3 questions. I'll start with the first question on the attached pic.
Here is what I'm thinking:
For question 33:
X=0 R=0, then R changes to 1. Basically, Clear changes from 1 to 0.Which means do NOT clear. Thus Q=1 (the inverse of X)?
This is obviously not the answer. Which part of my logic is erroneous?

"Do not clear" does not mean "Set" it means "do nothing".

In Q33 there are two steps..

Step 1, the initial conditions..

X=0, R=0. R is connected to the clear input which is "active low". In other words R=0 means the clear input is active, so Q goes to 0 and Qbar = 1. Therefore Y = 0.

Step 2

X= 0, R -> 1. R is connected to the clear input which is active low. In other words R=1 means the clear input is inactive (or "do nothing"). So Q stays a 0 and Qbar stays a 1. Therefore Y stays a 0.
 
Oh I see. Thanks for explaining this.

So for #34:
X=1 R=1
R=1 => Clear=0 (do nothing)
We don't know the previous Q value, so how would we know what Y or Z is?
I guess we don't?

then R changes to 0
so Clear=1, so Q=0=Y, thus Z=1.For #35:
X=1 R=1 => Clear=0 (does nothing for the whole time even if the input X changes).
Since we don't know what Q was before, it's uncertain.Am I understanding this correctly?
 
charlies1902 said:
Oh I see. Thanks for explaining this.

So for #34:
X=1 R=1
R=1 => Clear=0 (do nothing)
We don't know the previous Q value, so how would we know what Y or Z is?
I guess we don't?

Correct, we don't.

then R changes to 0
so Clear=1, so Q=0=Y, thus Z=1.

Correct. The clear input makes Q=0 whatever it was before.

For #35:
X=1 R=1 => Clear=0 (does nothing for the whole time even if the input X changes).
Since we don't know what Q was before, it's uncertain.
Am I understanding this correctly?

Correct. The falling edge on X makes Q toggle, but since we don't know what it was before we don't know what it will be next. So answer is uncertain.

Aside: Had they not said "Each question is independant" the answer to 35 would be different. In that case question 34 clears the latch (Q=Y=0) then question 35 toggles the latch (Q=Y=1).
 
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