CSE211: COMPUTER ORGANIZATION AND DESIGN

Logic Micro-operations
Introduction

As you know, a computer works on instructions. Our systems consist of machine

instructions to perform some operations like add, subtract, multiply, divide etc. To

perform these operations, the system stores the data in registers. Now, to operate

this data, the CPU has micro-operations. A micro-operation is a simple operation

performed on the data stored in one or more registers. They transfer the data

between registers. There are four types of micro-operations:-

 Register micro-operations

 Arithmetic micro-operations

 Logic micro-operations

 Shift micro-operations

What are Logic Micro-Operations?

Logic micro-operations are used on the bits of data stored in registers. These micro-

operations treat each bit independently and create binary variables from them.

There are a total of 16 micro-operations available. This are shown in the truth table.

Before discussing these logic micro-operations, let’s discuss their truth tables.

The below diagram shows the truth table for all the 16 logic micro-operations

mentioned above. Here, x and y are the variables or registers in which the data is

stored and F0, F1, ….., F15 are the outputs that occur after performing these logic

micro-operations

Jhulan Kumar
Assistant Professor
Lovely Professional University
CSE211: COMPUTER ORGANIZATION AND DESIGN

Jhulan Kumar
Assistant Professor
Lovely Professional University
 CSE211: COMPUTER ORGANIZATION AND DESIGN

Now, we will discuss these logic micro-operations one by one.

1. Clear

The Clear logic micro-operation is used to clear the register or set the bits of the

register to 0. To use this micro-operation, we need to feed 0 to the register. In the

above truth table, F0 represents the truth table of Clear logic micro-operation.

For example, F <- 0 means the value of the register F is set to 0 or is cleared. The

previous value of register F will be removed.

Boolean expression-

The boolean expression for the Clear logic micro-operation is F0 = 0

2. AND

The AND logic micro-operation performs the logical AND between the bits of the

data stored in the two registers. The symbol to represent the logical AND is ∧.

Case 1: Both x and y values are true.

In the first case, if the values of both two registers are true then the result of AND

operation is 1; else, it is 0. F1 represents the truth table of AND logic micro-operation

in the above truth table.

For example, F <- A ∧ B means the registers A and B value will undergo AND micro-

operation, and the output will be stored in register F.

Boolean expression-

The boolean expression for the AND logic micro-operation will be F1 = x.y

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 CSE211: COMPUTER ORGANIZATION AND DESIGN

Case 2: x is true, and y is false.

The logical AND operation we discussed above gives output 1 when both x and y

are true. There is also another AND operation which includes x but not y. Also

known as inhibition, here for performing the AND operation, the first value is taken

from the x variable or register. The second value is taken as the complement of the y

variable or register. If the value of the x register is true and of the y register is false,

then the result of AND operation is 1; else, it is 0.

F2 represents the truth table of inhibition AND logic micro-operation in the above

truth table.

For example, F <- A ∧ B’ means the value of the registers A and complement B will

undergo AND micro-operation, and the output will be stored in register F.

Boolean expression-

The boolean expression for the AND logic micro-operation will be F2 = x.y’

Case 3: x is false, and y is true.

The third case of logical AND operation includes y but not x. Also known

as inhibition, here for performing the AND operation, the first value is taken as

the complement of the x variable or register, and the second value is taken from the

y variable or register. If the value of the x register is false and of the y register is true,

then the result of AND operation is 1; else, it is 0.

F4 represents the truth table of inhibition AND logic micro-operation in the above

truth table.

For example, F <- A’ ∧ B means the value of the complement register A and as it is B

will undergo AND micro-operation, and the output will be stored in register F.
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 CSE211: COMPUTER ORGANIZATION AND DESIGN

Boolean expression-

The boolean expression for the AND logic micro-operation will be F4 = x’.y

3. Transfer A

The Transfer A logic micro-operation transfers the contents of register A (first

register) to the output register.

F3 represents the truth table of Transfer A logic micro-operation in the above truth

table. Since there is a transfer of data from the first register to the output register in

this micro-operation, its truth table is the same as the taken values of the x variable

(0, 0, 1, 1).

For example, F <- A means the value of register A is moved to register F. The

previous value of register F will be removed.

Boolean expression-

The boolean expression for the Transfer A logic micro-operation is F3 = x

4. Transfer B

The Transfer B logic micro-operation transfers the contents of register B (second

register) to the output register.

F5 represents the truth table of Transfer B logic micro-operation in the above truth

table. Since there is a transfer of data from the second register to the output register

in this micro-operation, its truth table is the same as the taken values of the y

variable (0, 1, 0, 1).

For example, F <- B means the value of register B is moved to register F. The

previous value of register F will be removed.

Jhulan Kumar
Assistant Professor
Lovely Professional University
 CSE211: COMPUTER ORGANIZATION AND DESIGN

Boolean expression-

The boolean expression for the Transfer B logic micro-operation is F5 = y

5. Exclusive OR

Also known as XOR, this logic micro-operation performs the logical XOR between

the data bits stored in the two registers. The logical XOR means either x should be

true or y but not both. The symbol to represent the Exclusive OR is ⊕.

F6 represents the truth table of Exclusive OR logic micro-operation in the above

truth table. The output will be 1 when either x =1 and y = 0 or x = 0 and y = 1.

For example, F <- A ⊕ B means the registers A and B value will undergo XOR micro-

operation, and the output will be stored in register F.

Boolean expression-

The boolean expression for the Exclusive OR logic micro-operation will be F6 = x.y’ +

x’.y

6. OR

The OR logic micro-operation performs the logical OR between the data bits stored

in the two registers. The symbol to represent the logical OR is ∨.

Case 1: Either x or y or both x and y values are true.

In the first case, if either the value of x register is true and y register is false, or the

value of x register is false, and y register is true, or both the values of x and y

registers are true, then the result of OR operation is 1 else it is 0. F7 represents the

truth table of OR logic micro-operation in the above truth table.

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 CSE211: COMPUTER ORGANIZATION AND DESIGN

For example, F <- A ∨ B means the registers A and B value will undergo OR micro-

operation, and the output will be stored in register F.

Boolean expression-

The boolean expression for the OR logic micro-operation will be F7 = x + y

Case 2: If y, then x else not.

In the second case, the output for 1 follows the condition that

 If the value of the y register is true, then the value of the x register must be

true. If this condition is satisfied, then the output is 1.

 If the value of the y register is false, then we don’t need to look for the value

of the x register, and the output is 1.

 Else the output is 0.

To perform this logic micro-operation, we need to perform the logical OR of the

values of the x register and the complement value of the y register.

In the above truth table, F11 represents the truth table of this logic micro-operation.

For example, F <- A ∨ B’ means the value of the registers A and complement B will

undergo OR micro-operation, and the output will be stored in register F.

Boolean expression-

The boolean expression for this OR logic micro-operation will be F11 = x + y’

Case 3: If x, then y else not.

In the second case, the output for 1 follows the condition that

Jhulan Kumar
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 CSE211: COMPUTER ORGANIZATION AND DESIGN

 If the value of the x register is true, then the y register's value must be true. If

this condition is satisfied, then the output is 1.

 If the value of the x register is 0, then we don’t need to look for the value of

the y register, and the output is 1.

 Else the output is 0.

To perform this logic micro-operation, we need to perform the logical OR of the

complemented value of the x register and the value of the y register.

In the above truth table, F13 represents the truth table of this logic micro-operation.

For example, F <- A’ ∨ B means the complemented register A and B value will

undergo OR micro-operation, and the output will be stored in register F.

Boolean expression-

The boolean expression for this OR logic micro-operation will be F13 = x’ + y

7. NOR

The NOR logic micro-operation is simply the opposite of OR logic micro-operation.

As the name suggests, it is Not OR. The output of OR micro-operation is 1 when the

value of either x register or y register or both x and y registers are true. In contrast, in

NOR, the output is 0 when the value of either x register or y register or both x and y

registers are true, and it is 1 when both x and y registers are false. In the above truth

table, F8 represents the truth table of NOR logic micro-operation.

For example, F <- (A ∨ B)’ means the registers A and B value will undergo NOR

micro-operation, and the output will be stored in register F.

Boolean expression-

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 CSE211: COMPUTER ORGANIZATION AND DESIGN

The boolean expression for the Transfer A logic micro-operation is F8 = (x + y)’

8. Exclusive NOR

If we perform the Exclusive NOR micro-operation, the output will be 1 when the

values of both the x and y registers will be the same. They can be true or false, but

they have to be the same.

F9 represents the truth table of Exclusive NOR logic micro-operation in the above

truth table. The output will be 1 when either x = 0 and y = 0 or x = 1 and y = 1.

For example, F <- (A ⊕B)’ means the registers A and B value will undergo Exclusive

NOR micro-operation, and the output will be stored in register F.

Boolean expression-

The boolean expression for the Exclusive NOR logic micro-operation will be F9 = x.y
+ x’.y’

9. Complement B

The Complement B logic micro-operation transfers the complemented contents of

register B (second register) to the output register. First, the content of the register is

complemented and then moved to the desired register.

In the above truth table, F10 represents the truth table of Complement B logic micro-

operation. Since there is a transfer of complemented data from the second register to

the output register in this micro-operation, its truth table is just the opposite of the

taken values of the y variable (1, 0, 1, 0).

For example, F <- B’ means the complemented value of register B is moved to

register F. The previous value of register F will be removed.

Jhulan Kumar
Assistant Professor
Lovely Professional University
 CSE211: COMPUTER ORGANIZATION AND DESIGN

Boolean expression-

The boolean expression for the Complement B logic micro-operation is F10 = y’

10. Complement A

The Complement A logic micro-operation transfers the complemented contents of

register A (first register) to the output register. First, the content of the register is

complemented and then moved to the desired register.

F12 represents the truth table of Complement A logic micro-operation in the above

truth table. Since there is a transfer of complemented data from the first register to

the output register in this micro-operation, its truth table is just the opposite of the

taken values of the y variable (1, 1, 0, 0).

For example, F <- A’ means the complemented value of register A is moved to

register F. The previous value of register F will be removed.

Boolean expression-

The boolean expression for the Complement A logic micro-operation is F12 = x’

11. NAND

The NAND logic micro-operation is simply the opposite of AND logic micro-

operation. As the name suggests, it is Not AND. The output of AND micro-operation

is 1 when the value of both the x register and y register is true. In contrast, in NAND,

the output is 0 when the value of both x register and y register is true, and it is 1

when either x is false, or y is false, or both are false.

In the above truth table, F14 represents the truth table of NAND logic micro-

operation.

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 CSE211: COMPUTER ORGANIZATION AND DESIGN

For example, F <- (A ∧ B)’ means the registers A and B value will undergo NAND

micro-operation, and the output will be stored in register F.

Boolean expression-

The boolean expression for the NAND logic micro-operation is F14 = (x.y)’

12. Set to all 1’s

The set to all 1’s logic micro-operations is used to set all the register bits to 1. To use

this micro-operation, we just need to feed 1 to the register. In the above truth table,

F15 represents the truth table of Set to all 1’s logic micro-operation.

For example, F <- 1 means the value of the register F is set to 1. The previous value of

register F will be removed.

Boolean expression-

The boolean expression for the Clear logic micro-operation is F15 = 1

Examples of Logic Micro Operations in Real-World Computing

Logical microoperations are performed on binary data at a hardware level in the

processor. Let's discuss some examples of logical micro-operations in real-world

computation.

Logical microoperations are used in MUX (multiplexers)

and DEMUX (Demultiplersers). MUX is used in address decoding, data routing, etc.

While DEMUX is used in signal demodulation and functions as a serial-to-parallel

converter.

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 CSE211: COMPUTER ORGANIZATION AND DESIGN

Logical microoperations are used in cryptography, image processing, etc., where we

need accurate control over the individual bits.

Logical microoperations, such as shift microoperations, are used in data storage,

compression algorithms, and in other areas to use memory effectively.

They are used in machine learning algorithms for manipulating the data and for

making decisions according to the patterns in the dataset. The algorithms are further

used in image recognition, voice recognition, natural language processing, etc.

Logical microoperations are used for masking purposes. The AND microoperation is

used to mask bits of a register.

Logical microoperations are used to build arithmetic circuits such as adders and

subtracters. They are formed by the combination of XOR, AND, and OR for

performing subtraction and addition operations.

Advantages of Logic Micro Operations in Processor Design

Below are some of the advantages of logic micro-operations.

Logical microoperations consume less power. Therefore they help in

building low-power consumption systems.

They are easy to scale and can hold larger amounts of datasets.

Logical microoperations can reduce the complexity of computations by breaking

them into manageable components so that they can be optimized effectively.

Logic micro-operations are very fast and allow efficient processing of huge amounts

of data. Logical micro-operations are very flexible and can be combined in multiple

ways to perform a wide number of computations.

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Assistant Professor
Lovely Professional University
 CSE211: COMPUTER ORGANIZATION AND DESIGN

Frequently Asked Questions

Q. What are the applications of logic microoperations?

Logical microoperations are used in digital circuits, arithmetic logic units, MUX

(multipliers), DEMUX (demultiplexers), data encryption, hashing, memory

addressing, decoding, bit masking, communication systems, digital system design,

and digital signal processing.

Q. What is the hardware implementation of logic micro-operation?

In hardware implementation of logic micro-operations, we need to insert gates like

AND, NOT, OR, and EXOR for each individual bit or pair of bits. The basic logic

gates are combined to implement complex micro-operations.

Q. What is the importance of logic operation?

Logical microoperations play an essential role in digital electronics. They are used to

frame a way in which the information flows through the circuits. Logical

microoperations consume less power. Therefore it helps in building low-power

consumption systems. They are easy to scale and can hold larger amounts of

datasets.

Conclusion

To summarise, in this article, we studied logic micro-operation. There are 16 logic

micro-operation- Clear, AND, Transfer A, Transfer B, Exclusive OR, OR, NOR,

Exclusive NOR, Complement B, Complement A, NAND, and Set to all 1’s. We

discussed each micro-operation along with their truth tables and boolean

expressions.

Jhulan Kumar
Assistant Professor
Lovely Professional University
 CSE211: COMPUTER ORGANIZATION AND DESIGN

Shift Micro-Operations
What are Shift Micro-Operations in Computer Architecture?

Circular Shift

Shift micro-operations are used when the data is stored in registers. These micro-

operations are used for the serial transmission of data. Here, the data bits are shifted

from left to right. These micro-operations are also combined with arithmetic and

logic micro-operations and data-processing operations.

There are three types of shift micro-operations-

1. Logical Shift

2. Arithmetic Shift

Let’s start with logical shift micro-operation.

Logical Shift: - The logical shift micro-operation moves the 0 through the serial

input. There are two ways to implement the logical shift.

1. Logical Shift Left

2. Logical Shift Right

Let’s discuss both of them one by one.

Logical Shift Left: - Each bit in the register is shifted to the left one by one in this shift

micro-operation. The most significant bit (MSB) is moved outside the register, and

the place of the least significant bit (LSB) is filled with 0.

For example, in the below data, there are 8 bits 00001010. When we perform a logical

shift left on these bits, all these bits will be shifted towards the left. The MSB or the

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leftmost bit i.e. 0 will be moved outside, and at the rightmost place or LSB, 0 will be

inserted as shown below.

To implement the logical shift left micro-operation, we use the shl symbol.

For example, R1 -> shl R1.

This command means the 8 bits present in the R1 register will be logically shifted

left, and the result will be stored in register R1.

Moreover, the logical shift left microoperation denotes the multiplication of 2. The

example we’ve taken above when converted into decimal forms the number 10. And

the result after the logical shift operation when converted to decimal forms the

number 20.

Next, we will see the logical shift right micro-operation.

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 CSE211: COMPUTER ORGANIZATION AND DESIGN

Logical Shift Right:- Each bit in the register is shifted to the right one by one in this

shift micro-operation. The least significant bit (LSB) is moved outside the register,

and the place of the most significant bit (MSB) is filled with 0.

For example, in the below data, there are 8 bits 00000101. When we perform a logical

shift right on these bits, all these bits will be shifted towards the right. The LSB or the

rightmost bit i.e. 1 will be moved outside, and at the leftmost place or MSB, 0 will be

inserted as shown below.

To implement the logical shift right micro-operation, we use the shr symbol.

For example, R1 -> shr R1.

This command means the 8 bits present in the R1 register will be logically shifted

right, and the result will be stored in register R1.

Logical right shift micro-operation generally denotes division by 2. The inputted bits

when converted into decimal form the number 5. And the outcome when converted

into decimal forms the number 2.

Next, we will study arithmetic shift micro-operation.

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 CSE211: COMPUTER ORGANIZATION AND DESIGN

Arithmetic Shift

The arithmetic shift micro-operation moves the signed binary number either to the

left or to the right position. There are two ways to implement the arithmetic shift.

1. Arithmetic Shift Left

2. Arithmetic Shift Right

Let’s discuss both of them one by one.

Arithmetic Shift Left:- The arithmetic shift left micro-operation is the same as the

logical shift left micro-operation. Each bit in the register is shifted to the left one by

one in this shift micro-operation. The most significant bit (MSB) is moved outside the

register, and the place of the least significant bit (LSB) is filled with 0.

For example, in the below data, there are 8 bits 00100011. When we perform the

arithmetic shift left on these bits, all these bits will be shifted towards the left. The

MSB or the leftmost bit i.e. 0 will be moved outside, and at the rightmost place or

LSB, 0 will be inserted as shown below.

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 CSE211: COMPUTER ORGANIZATION AND DESIGN

The given binary number (00100011) represents 35 in the decimal system. And the

binary number after logical shift left (01000110) represents 70 in a decimal system.

Since 35 * 2 = 70. Therefore, we can say that the arithmetic shift left multiplies the

number by 2.

To implement the arithmetic shift left micro-operation, we use the ashl symbol.

For example, R1 -> ashl R1.

This command means the 8 bits present in the R1 register will be arithmetic shifted

left, and the result will be stored in register R1.

Arithmetic Shift Right:- Each bit in the register is shifted to the right one by one in

this shift micro-operation. The least significant bit (LSB) is moved outside the

register, and the place of the most significant bit (MSB) is filled with the previous

value of MSB.

For example, in the below data, there are 8 bits 10100011. When we perform an

arithmetic shift right on these bits, all these bits will be shifted towards the right. The

LSB or the rightmost bit i.e. 1 will be moved outside, and at the leftmost place or

MSB, the previous MSB value, i.e. 1, will be inserted as shown below.

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 CSE211: COMPUTER ORGANIZATION AND DESIGN

Arithmetic right shift divides the number by 2.

To implement the arithmetic shift right micro-operation, we use the ashr symbol.

For example, R1 -> ashr R1.

This command means the 8 bits present in the R1 register will be arithmetic shifted

right, and the result will be stored in register R1.

Next, we will study circular shift micro-operation.

Circular Shift

The circular shift, also known as the rotate shift, moves the bits in the register's

sequence around both ends, thus ensuring no loss of information. There are two

ways to implement the circular shift.

1. Circular Shift Left

2. Circular Shift Right

Let’s discuss both of them one by one.

Circular Shift Left: - Each bit in the register is shifted to the left one by one in this

shift micro-operation. After shifting, the least significant bit (LSB) place becomes

empty, so it is filled with the value at the most significant bit (MSB).

For example, in the below data, there are 8 bits 00010100. When we perform a

circular shift left on these bits, all these bits will be shifted towards the left. The MSB

or the leftmost bit i.e. 0 will be placed at the rightmost place or LSB as shown below.

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 CSE211: COMPUTER ORGANIZATION AND DESIGN

To implement the circular shift left micro-operation, we use the cil symbol.

For example, R1 -> cil R1.

This command means the 8 bits present in the R1 register will be circular shifted left,

and the result will be stored in register R1.

Next, we will discuss circular shift right micro-operation.

Circular Shift Right: - Each bit in the register is shifted to the right one by one in this

shift micro-operation. After shifting, the most significant bit (MSB) place becomes

empty, so it is filled with the value at the least significant bit (LSB).

For example, in the below data, there are 8 bits 00010100. When we perform a

circular shift right on these bits, all these bits will be shifted towards the right. The

LSB or the leftmost bit, i.e. 0, will be placed at the rightmost place or MSB.

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 CSE211: COMPUTER ORGANIZATION AND DESIGN

To implement the circular shift right micro-operation, we use the cir symbol.

For example, R1 -> cir R1.

This command means the 8 bits present in the R1 register will be circular shifted

right, and the result will be stored in register R1.

Important Questions:-

What are the Shift micro-operations?

Shift micro-operations are used when the data is stored in registers. These micro-

operations are used for the serial transmission of data. The contents of a register can

be shifted to the left or the right. There are three types of shift micro-operations-

Logical shift, Arithmetic shift and Circular shift.

What are different shift micro-operations?

There are three types of shift micro operations: Logical Shift, Arithmetic Shift and

Circular Shift. Logical shift transfers zero through serial input. Arithmetic shift

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micro-operation shifts a signed binary number to the left or to the right position. The

circular shift micro operation circulates the bits in the sequence of the register

around the both ends.

What is logic micro-operation and shift micro-operation?

Logic micro operations operate on individual bits of data. Bit operations through

logic micro-operation are useful for making bits-based decisions. Shift micro

operation works on serial transfer of information. It may be used in conjunction with

logic micro-operation to achieve desired bit manipulations.

Jhulan Kumar
Assistant Professor
Lovely Professional University