Boolean differential calculus (BDC) (German: (BDK)) is a subject field of

Boolean algebra In mathematics and mathematical logic, Boolean algebra is a branch of algebra. It differs from elementary algebra in two ways. First, the values of the variables are the truth values ''true'' and ''false'', usually denoted 1 and 0, whereas i ...

discussing changes of Boolean variables and

Boolean function In mathematics, a Boolean function is a function whose arguments and result assume values from a two-element set (usually , or ). Alternative names are switching function, used especially in older computer science literature, and truth function ...

s. Boolean differential calculus concepts are analogous to those of classical

differential calculus In mathematics, differential calculus is a subfield of calculus that studies the rates at which quantities change. It is one of the two traditional divisions of calculus, the other being integral calculus—the study of the area beneath a curve ...

, notably studying the changes in functions and variables with respect to another/others.H. Wehlan
Boolean Algebra in ''Encyclopedia of Mathematics''
/ref> The Boolean differential calculus allows various aspects of

dynamical systems theory Dynamical systems theory is an area of mathematics used to describe the behavior of complex dynamical systems, usually by employing differential equations or difference equations. When differential equations are employed, the theory is called ''c ...

such as *

automata theory Automata theory is the study of abstract machines and automata, as well as the computational problems that can be solved using them. It is a theory in theoretical computer science. The word ''automata'' comes from the Greek word αὐτόματο� ...

finite automata A finite-state machine (FSM) or finite-state automaton (FSA, plural: ''automata''), finite automaton, or simply a state machine, is a mathematical model of computation. It is an abstract machine that can be in exactly one of a finite number o ...

* Petri net theory * supervisory control theory (SCT) to be discussed in a united and closed form, with their individual advantages combined.

History and applications

Originally inspired by the design and testing of

switching circuit Switching circuit theory is the mathematical study of the properties of networks of idealized switches. Such networks may be strictly combinational logic, in which their output state is only a function of the present state of their inputs; or may ...

s and the utilization of

error-correcting code In computing, telecommunication, information theory, and coding theory, an error correction code, sometimes error correcting code, (ECC) is used for controlling errors in data over unreliable or noisy communication channels. The central idea ...

s in

electrical engineering Electrical engineering is an engineering discipline concerned with the study, design, and application of equipment, devices, and systems which use electricity, electronics, and electromagnetism. It emerged as an identifiable occupation in the l ...

, the roots for the development of what later would evolve into the Boolean differential calculus were initiated by works of

Irving S. Reed Irving Stoy Reed (November 12, 1923 – September 11, 2012) was an American mathematician and engineer. He is best known for co-inventing a class of algebraic error-correcting and error-detecting codes known as Reed–Solomon codes in collabo ...

David E. Muller David Eugene Muller (November 2, 1924 – April 27, 2008) was an American mathematician and computer scientist. He was a professor of mathematics and computer science at the University of Illinois (1953–92), after which he became an emeritu ...

, David A. Huffman, Sheldon B. Akers Jr. and (, ) between 1954 and 1959, and of Frederick F. Sellers Jr., Mu-Yue Hsiao and Leroy W. Bearnson in 1968. Since then, significant advances were accomplished in both, the theory and in the application of the BDC in switching circuit design and

logic synthesis In computer engineering, logic synthesis is a process by which an abstract specification of desired circuit behavior, typically at register transfer level (RTL), is turned into a design implementation in terms of logic gates, typically by a comp ...

. Works of , Marc Davio and in the 1970s formed the basics of BDC on which , and further developed BDC into a self-contained mathematical theory later on. A complementary theory of Boolean integral calculus (German: ) has been developed as well. BDC has also found uses in discrete event dynamic systems (DEDS) in

digital network A computer network is a set of computers sharing resources located on or provided by network nodes. The computers use common communication protocols over digital interconnections to communicate with each other. These interconnections are ...

communication protocol A communication protocol is a system of rules that allows two or more entities of a communications system to transmit information via any kind of variation of a physical quantity. The protocol defines the rules, syntax, semantics and synchro ...

s. Meanwhile, BDC has seen extensions to

multi-valued In mathematics, a multivalued function, also called multifunction, many-valued function, set-valued function, is similar to a function, but may associate several values to each input. More precisely, a multivalued function from a domain to a ...

variables and functions as well as to lattices of Boolean functions.

Overview

Boolean

differential operator In mathematics, a differential operator is an operator defined as a function of the differentiation operator. It is helpful, as a matter of notation first, to consider differentiation as an abstract operation that accepts a function and return ...

s play a significant role in BDC. They allow the application of differentials as known from classical

analysis Analysis ( : analyses) is the process of breaking a complex topic or substance into smaller parts in order to gain a better understanding of it. The technique has been applied in the study of mathematics and logic since before Aristotle (384 ...

to be extended to logical functions. The differentials

dx_i

of a Boolean variable

x_i

models the relation: :

dx_i = \begin
  0,  & \text x_i\\
  1, & \text x_i
\end

There are no constraints in regard to the nature, the causes and consequences of a change. The differentials

dx_i

are binary. They can be used just like common binary variables.

References

External links

* * with {{Authority control Algebra Automata (computation) Mathematical logic Order theory Set theory

History and applications

Overview

See also

References

Further reading

External links