A Generalized Tree Circuit

Abstract

From the very founding of switching theory by Claude E. Shannon, the tree circuit has been a useful instrument in the design of logic networks. Besides being a valuable practical addition to the designer's “tool kit”, it has been a theoretical asset in the study of circuit complexity and the establishment of general bounds on the relative costs of switching networks. The object of this paper is to expand the practical and theoretical scope of the tree circuit. The expansion is effected by the formulation of a generalized tree circuit, which in actuality is a set of circuits having basic tree circuit characteristics.