What term describes a product term in a Boolean expression corresponding to a specific combination of variable states that makes the function true?

• A. Minterm
• B. Maxterm
• C. Implicant
• D. Don’t-care Term

Answer: (A)

A minterm is a product term that corresponds to a single exact combination of input variables for which the Boolean function is true. It is formed by taking every variable in either its true form or its complemented form to match that specific input, so the term is true only for that one combination. For example, with two variables A and B, the minterm for A=1 and B=0 is A AND NOT B (A · ¬B). This minterm will be true solely for that specific input, and false for all others. In canonical sum-of-products form, the function is the OR of all such minterms where the function outputs 1. A maxterm, in contrast, is a sum term that is false for exactly one combination and is used in canonical product-of-sums; an implicant is any product term that can cause the function to be 1 (potentially covering multiple combinations); a don’t-care term refers to input conditions where the output is unspecified.