Canonical Form (Boolean Algebra) - Minterms

Minterms

For a boolean function of variables, a product term in which each of the variables appears once (in either its complemented or uncomplemented form) is called a minterm. Thus, a minterm is a logical expression of n variables that employs only the complement operator and the conjunction operator.

For example, and are 3 examples of the 8 minterms for a Boolean function of the three variables, and . The customary reading of the last of these is a AND b AND NOT-c.

There are 2n minterms of n variables, since a variable in the minterm expression can be in either its direct or its complemented form—two choices per n variables.