Minimization of Boolean Functions

The Quine–McCluskey method of minimizing a Boolean function gives all the prime implicants, from which the essential terms are selected by one or more cover tables known as the prime implicant tables. This note describes a tabular method where the essential prime implicants are selected during the process of forming the combination tables, and other essential terms are selected from what have been described in the note as chains of selective prime implicants. Consequently, the need for successive prime implicant tables is eliminated.