XOR and XNOR
5. Adding a Little Exclusivity
The XOR (exclusive OR) gate is a bit more selective than the regular OR gate. It outputs a "1" (true) only when the inputs are different. If the inputs are the same (both "0" or both "1"), it outputs a "0" (false). Think of it as requiring one or the other, but not both.
The truth table shows this exclusive behavior. It's "1" when the inputs are 0 and 1, or 1 and 0. It's "0" when the inputs are 0 and 0, or 1 and 1. Think of the XOR as meaning " exactly one of the inputs must be true."
A good analogy is a light switch controlled by two people in different locations. The light turns on if one person flips their switch, but it turns off if both flip their switches (either both on or both off).
The XNOR (exclusive NOR) gate is simply the inverse of the XOR gate. It outputs a "1" (true) when the inputs are the same (both "0" or both "1"), and a "0" (false) when the inputs are different. It's essentially saying " either both are true, or both are false." Think of it as the opposite of XOR.
Relate the XNOR to a voting system where a decision is only valid if everyone votes the same way. If everyone agrees (either all "yes" or all "no"), the decision is valid. If there's disagreement, the decision is invalid.