Scientists Say: Boolean

Boolean (adjective or noun, “BOO-lee-en”)

The word “Boolean” can be an adjective or a noun. As an adjective, this word describes a decision with only two possible answers, such as yes or no. As a noun, it can refer to a specific kind of value. For example, the answers “yes” or “no” are both Boolean. Booleans are important in computer science, math and more.

People make Boolean choices in daily life. Imagine a mom tells a child that they can have ice cream if they clean their room and do their homework. Two possible outcomes exist — yes, the child gets ice cream. Or no, the child doesn’t get ice cream. For “yes,” the child must satisfy two requirements. If the child only satisfies one requirement, or neither, the answer is “no.”

This problem can be represented mathematically. In normal math, 1 + 1 = 2. But in Boolean math, 1 + 1 = 1. (That’s because only two possible answers exist — 1 or 0.) Let’s look at how we might use this equation to represent the ice cream scenario.

To determine whether the kid gets ice cream, only two questions must be answered:

Did the child clean their room? If yes, then “1.” If no, then “0.”

Did the child do their homework? If yes, the “1.” If no, then “0.”

If the child cleaned their room and did their homework, then they get ice cream. In Boolean math, that’s 1 + 1 = 1.

But if the kid did only one of their chores, no ice cream. In Boolean math, that could look like 1 + 0 = 0. Or it could be 0 + 1 = 0.

And of course, if the child does neither task, no ice cream. That’s 0 + 0 = 0.

These yes/no choices can form a logic system. A logic system is a set of rules for solving problems. And Booleans can use various sets of rules. The ice-cream example depicts an “AND” type of rule. To get a “yes,” the child must complete both tasks.

But other collections of rules or conditions exist. For example, there is also an “OR” type.

Imagine the mom tells the child they can have ice cream if the child cleans their room or does their homework or does both. In this case, the ruleset changes.

1 + 1 = 1 (Yes, the child gets ice cream.) 1 + 0 = 1 (Yes, the child gets ice cream.) 0 + 1 = 1 (Yes, the child gets ice cream.) 0 + 0 = 0 (No, the child does not get ice cream.)

Computers use Booleans to make decisions. For example, a computer transistor works like a switch. It has only two states — ON or OFF. Though a computer seems to do many things at once, everything is built from simple yes/no — or on/off— choices. A computer’s processing unit, for example, contains billions of transistors. All those on/off switches allow computers to handle very complex tasks.

In a sentence

Artificial intelligence can perform complex tasks, such as generating text and images, but from its foundation everything is built on Boolean decisions.

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