An older or formal term for an exclusive-OR (XOR) gate. It evaluates two binary inputs and drives its output high only if one input is high and the other is low. If both inputs are the same (both high or both low), the output remains low. It is the fundamental building block for binary addition and parity checking.
Heard on the job
Feed the two clock signals into a difference gate to instantly flag if they drift out of phase.
Also heard as
- XOR gate
- exclusive-OR gate
Do not mix it up with
- XNOR gate: An equivalence gate (XNOR) outputs high when inputs match, whereas a difference gate (XOR) outputs high when they differ.
Related terms
XOR gate
A digital logic gate that outputs a high signal only when its two inputs are at different logic levels.
XNOR gate
A digital logic gate that outputs true only when both of its inputs are exactly the same.
Half adder
A digital logic circuit that adds two single-bit binary numbers and produces a sum and a carry output.