Normal Forms | Engineering Mathematics - Civil Engineering (CE) PDF Download

1. Disjunctive Normal Forms (DNF) :

• A formula which is equivalent to a given formula and which consists of a sum of elementary products is called a disjunctive normal form of given formula.

Example :
(P ∧ ~ Q) ∨ (Q ∧ R) ∨ (~ P ∧ Q ∧~ R)

• The DNF of formula is not unique.

2. Conjunctive Normal Form (CNF) :

• A formula which is equivalent to a given formula and which consists of a product of elementary products is called a conjunctive normal form of given formula.

Example :

(P~ ∨ Q) ∧ (Q ∨ R) ∧ (~ P ∨ Q ∨ ~ R)

• The CNF of formula is not unique.
• If every elementary sum in CNF is tautology, then given formula is also tautology.

3. Principle Disjunctive Normal Form (PDNF) :

• An equivalent formula consisting of disjunctions of minterms only is called the principle disjunctive normal form of the formula.
• It is also known as sum-of-products canonical form.

Example :
(P ∧ ~ Q ∧ ~ R) ∨ (P ∧ ~ Q ∧ R) ∨ (~ P ∧ ~ Q ∧ ~ R)

• The minterm consists of conjunctions in which each statement variable or its negation, but not both, appears only once.
• The minterms are written down by including the variable if its truth value is T and its negation if its truth value is F.

4. Principle Conjunctive Normal Form (PCNF) :

• An equivalent formula consisting of conjunctions of maxterms only is called the principle conjunctive normal form of the formula.
• It is also known as product-of-sums canonical form.

Example :
(P ∨ ~ Q ∨ ~ R) ∧ (P ∨ ~ Q ∨ R) ∧ (~ P ∨ ~ Q ∨ ~ R)

• The maxterm consists of disjunctions in which each variable or its negation, but not both, appears only once.
• The dual of a minterm is called a maxterm.
• Each of the maxterm has the truth value F for exactly one combination of the truth values of the variables.
• The maxterms are written down by including the variable if its truth value is F and its negation if its truth value is T.