electronic engineer Claude Shannon logician Victor Shestakov one-to-one correspondence Boolean logic logic gates expressions Boolean algebra digital circuit electrical digital computers relays binary binary adder computer computers bit relay
In the 1930s and working independently, American electronic engineer Claude Shannon and Soviet logician Victor Shestakov both showed a one-to-one correspondence between the concepts of Boolean logic and certain electrical circuits, now called logic gates, which are now ubiquitous in digital computers. They showed that electronic relays and switches can realize the expressions of Boolean algebra. This thesis essentially founded practical digital circuit design. In addition Shannon's paper gives a correct circuit diagram for a 4 bit digital binary adder.
