INTRODUCTION

The OR gate is a digital logic gate that implements logical disjunction it behaves according to the truth table to the right. A HIGH output (1)
results if one or both the inputs to the gate are HIGH (1). If neither input
is HIGH, a LOW output (0) results. In another sense, the function of OR
effectively finds the maximum between two binary digits, just as the
complementary AND function finds the minimum.
INPUT
A B

OUTPUT
A+B

An OR gate is a logic gate that has two or more inputs but only one
output. However, the output Y of an OR gates is LOW when all
inputs are LOW. The output Y of an OR gate is HIGH if any or all
the inputs are HIGH.
It is called OR gate because the output is high if any or all the
inputs are high. For the sane reason, an OR gate is sometimes called
"any or all gate". For example, consider a 2-input OR gate. The
output y will be high if either or both input are high.

CIRCUIT DIAGRAM

OR gate Operation : Fig (a) shown one way to build a 2-inputs OR

gate schematic diagram. The input voltage are labeled as A and B
corresponds to 0 state (LOW level). The positive terminal of the
battery (+5V) corresponds to 1 state HIGH level). There are only
four input-output possibilities.
(I) When both A and B are connected to ground, both diodes are nonconducting. Hence the output voltage is ideally zero (low voltage).
In terms of binary, when A = 0 and B = 0, then Y = 0 as shows in the
truth table.
(II) When A is connected to ground and B connected to the positive
terminal of the battery, diode D2 is forward biased and diode D1 is
non-conducting. Therefore diode D2 conducts and the output voltage
is ideally +5V. In terms of binary, When A = 0 and B = 1,then Y = 1
as shows in the table.
(III) When both A and B are connected to the positive terminal of the
battery and B to the ground, diode D1 is on and diode D2 is off.

Again the output voltage is +5V. In binary terms when A = 1 and B =

0 then Y = 1 as shows in the truth table.
(IV) When both A and B are connected to the positive terminal of the
battery, both diodes are on. Since the diodes are in parallel, the
output voltage is +5V. In binary terms, when A = 1 and B = 1 ,then Y
= 1 as shows in the truth table.
A

0
0
0
0
1
1
Truth
Table
1
0
1
1
1
1
IT is clear from the truth table that for OR gate, the output is high if
any or all of the inputs are high. The only way to get a low output is
by having all inputs low. Fig (C) shows the logical symbol of OR
gate. Note that the symbol has curved line at the input

Fig (c)
Boolean Expression : The algebra used to symbolically describe
logic function is called Boolean algebra. The "+" sign in Boolean
algebra refers to the logical OR function. The Boolean expression
for OR function is
A + B = Y where "+" is OR symbol

Adjoining table

A+B Y
0+0
0
The
0 +adjoining
1
1table shows possibilities for the inputs. According to
this
when
1 +table,
0
1 0 is OR with 0 , the result equals 0. Also, any
variable
1 + 1 OR with
1 1 equals 1.The OR function can be summed up as
under:
0 OR with 0 equals 0
0 OR with 1 equals 1
1 OR with 1 equals 1

Electronics Logic Gates: OR Gates

Of all basic electronics logic gates, the OR gate is the most likely to
produce a HIGH output. An OR gate produces a HIGH output if any of
the inputs is HIGH. The output from an OR gate is LOW only if all the
inputs are LOW. Table 2-5 shows the truth table for a two-input OR gate.
Its important to note that in an OR gate, it doesnt matter how many of
the inputs are HIGH. If at least one input is HIGH, the output will be
HIGH.
Thus, in a two-input OR gate, the output will be HIGH if either input is
HIGH or both inputs are HIGH. In a three-input OR gate, the output will
be HIGH if any one, any two, or all three of the inputs are HIGH.
Input A

Input B

Output

The standard symbol for an OR shows the inputs on the left, and the
output on the right.
Like AND gates, OR gates with more than two inputs are easy to create.
No matter how many inputs the OR gate has, the output is HIGH if any
of the inputs is HIGH.

Logical OR Gate

We have gone through the different logic gates or if you have not you
can check them out in the different articles of this website. Now
discussing about the logic gates the obvious question which comes to
our mind is that what is their operation or rather what is there field of
use.
Before knowing about the operation let us briefly discuss about what is
an OR gate. OR gate is an device which has two inputs and one output
and the output is 1 if any or both of the inputs are 0 and the output will
be 0 only if the inputs are 0. The notation of an OR gate is given as

OR gate

As we have already discussed that it has two inputs, in the picture A and
B are the two inputs and it has only 1 output.
Now let us explain the operation of the OR gate logically. We have
already gone through the basics of the fundamental logic of OR gate.
Now to describe it through Boolean algebra we have to look through the
truth table first.
As we have already discussed that it has two inputs, in the picture A and
B are the two inputs and it has only 1 output.
Now let us explain the operation of the OR gate logically. We have
already gone through the basics of the fundamental logic of OR gate.
Now to describe it through Boolean algebra we have to look through the
truth table first.
We can describe the operation of an OR gate through binary arithmetic
also. From this point of view the operation of OR gate is similar to
binary addition. So if we take the two inputs of an OR gate as A and B
then the output will be equivalent to A+B. now the so called truth table
will be like
The truth table clearly explains the logical operation of the OR gate and
the circuit diagram given below totally supports the truth table. Now we
will explain the truth table along with the diagram simultaneously. When
the input A and B both are 0 then we can say that both the switches S1

and S2 are open and the output is also 0. Now when A is 1 and B is 0
then we can say S1 is closed and S2 is open so the signal transmits
through only S1 and the output will be 1. Similarly when A is 0 and B is
1 then the output will also be 1. Finally when both A and B are 1 then S1
and S2 both are closed and the output will be 1. This is what we call OR
operation.

Realisation of an OR gate using diodes