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Article
Boolean algebra
Article By:
Thomas, Christopher Department of Mathematics, Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts, North Adams, Massachusetts.
Last reviewed:January 2022
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1036/1097-8542.090600
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- Boolean algebra, published June 2021:Download PDF
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A kind of mathematics whose variables can only be True or False. A variable is called Boolean if it can only hold two possible values: True or False. The value True can be represented by the number one and False by zero. For example, if A is a Boolean variable that happens to be true, then we could write either A = T or A = 1. The English mathematician George Boole (see illustration) first laid out the principles of Boolean algebra around 1850. See also: Algebra; Mathematics
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