non-binary hardware (was: Absolute
joe at modcomp.UUCP
joe at modcomp.UUCP
Mon Sep 12 12:16:00 AEST 1988
u-dmfloy at sunset.utah.edu.UUCP writes [edited]:
> I've been toying with an idea [on trinary and up logic]. I've done some
> preliminary research and it's real sketchy. I've looked at several
> alternative trinary logic levels. No one has given me a convincing
> argument about which is correct yet.
>
> For example; Trinary 'AND':
>
> 0 1 2 0 1 2
> ========= =========
> 0 | 0 0 0 0 | 0 0 0
> 1 | 0 1 2 1 | 0 1 2
> 2 | 0 2 2 2 | 0 2 1
>
>
> Both have merits. I suppose you could define them as AND2 and AND1.
>
> Let's see what all of you have to say.
I haven't been able to divine what your underlying theories are from just
the logic charts you presented, so I remain unconvinced that either is
valid.
My own pet theory is that n-ary logic should be based on analog logic. By
that reasoning, AND returns the lowest of the m input values and OR
returns the highest. Inversion should simply flip across the n-ary range.
For example, let's look at trinary:
AND 0 1 2 OR 0 1 2 INVERSION
========= ========= =====
0 | 0 0 0 0 | 0 1 2 0 | 2
1 | 0 1 1 1 | 1 1 2 1 | 1
2 | 0 1 2 2 | 2 2 2 2 | 0
It should be possible to build XOR gates, adders, and so on with this
logic. However, I haven't tried it. Any takers? More to the point, what
have you computer scientists out in net-land, who surely have studied this
subject to death decades ago, have to say?
--
Joe Korty "flames, flames, go away
uunet!modcomp!joe come back again, some other day"
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