Positive logic assigns the most positive voltage in a system (such as 3.3V or 5V) to the true or active state (logic 1), and the lower voltage (usually 0V or ground) to the false state (logic 0). It is the default assumption in most digital circuit design and textbook examples. When a signal is active-high, it operates under positive logic principles.
Heard on the job
The microcontroller uses positive logic on its GPIO pins, so writing a 1 drives the pin to 3.3 volts.
Also heard as
- active-high
Do not mix it up with
- Negative logic: Negative logic reverses the convention, assigning logic 1 to the lower voltage and logic 0 to the higher voltage.
Related terms
Negative logic
A digital design convention that assigns the true state to a low voltage and the false state to a high voltage.
Logic high
The higher of two voltage states used to represent a binary one in a digital circuit.
Logic level
A specific voltage range that represents a distinct binary state in a digital circuit.