Use in Computer Circuits
In computer hardware design, the term assert usually means to make an electrical signal active, as opposed to quiescent. For example, if a narrative says "IRQ is asserted" and IRQ is defined to be low true, the narrative is saying that the IRQ signal was brought to the logic 0 state (usually near zero volts), implying that IRQ's quiescent state is logic 1 (a voltage substantially above the logic 0 level). In other words, a signal is said to be asserted if its state is made the opposite of what it would be when not in use.
Read more about this topic: Assertion (computing)
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