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Adder Circuits

Adder circuits are used by the Arithmetic Logic Unit (ALU) in a processor to perform the addition of two binary digits.

Types of adder circuit

Types of adder circuit

  • Adder circuits come in two forms:
    • Half adder circuits.
    • Full adder circuits.
Half adder circuits

Half adder circuits

  • Half adder circuits accept two inputs and output both the result and a carry bit.
  • They make use of an XOR gate and an AND gate, laid out as shown.
Half adder table

Half adder table

  • The actions of the two gates can be displayed in a table as shown.
  • The output at S gives the 20 binary digit.
  • The output at C gives the 21 binary digit (the carry bit).
Full adder circuits

Full adder circuits

  • Full adders have the same output as a Half Adder (the sum and a carry bit), but they accept three inputs (two bits plus a carry bit).
  • They are constructed from two Half Adders.
Full adder table

Full adder table

  • In a full adder:
    • S = A XOR B XOR C(in)
    • C(out) = (A AND B) OR (C(in) AND (A XOR B))
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