This question was asked inGPSC AE (Electrical) Class-2 R&B Department Paper 2025 – Series MQuestion 45 of 179 published · Gujarat Public Service CommissionOpen paper
Q154EasyCombinational Circuits

If A and B are the inputs of a half adder, then the sum is given by __________

Answer & step-by-step solution
Correct answer: C. A XOR B
Quick explanation

A half adder adds two single-bit inputs. Its Sum output is 1 only when A and B are different, which is exactly the XOR truth table; the Carry output is A·B.

Sum S = A ⊕ B Carry C = A·B

Concept & Reasoning

For inputs 00, 01, 10, 11, the binary sums are 0, 1, 1, 10. Hence the Sum bit sequence is 0,1,1,0 = A ⊕ B, while the Carry is 0,0,0,1 = AB. This is one of the basic identities used to build a full adder.

How to Solve It in the Exam

Half adder: XOR for Sum, AND for Carry.

Important Exam Point

Memorize the pair together; exam distractors often swap Sum and Carry.

Quick Trick

Half adder: XOR for Sum, AND for Carry.

Common Mistake

Selecting OR for Sum; OR fails for A=B=1 because the correct sum bit is 0 with carry 1.

Solution diagram – If A and B are the inputs of a half adder, then the sum is given by __________
Exam tipMemorize the pair together; exam distractors often swap Sum and Carry.
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