In‌‌this‌‌project‌‌we‌‌designed‌‌a‌‌majority‌‌voting‌‌machine‌‌to‌‌help‌‌the‌‌board‌‌of‌‌directors‌‌to‌‌
make‌‌decisions‌‌on‌‌presidential‌‌elections‌‌in‌‌Florida.‌‌This‌‌would‌‌help‌‌prevent‌‌an‌‌excess‌‌
of‌‌over‌‌votes‌‌or‌‌under‌‌votes.‌‌A‌‌controversial‌‌presidential‌‌election‌‌would‌‌be‌‌prevented‌‌
from‌‌ever‌‌happening‌‌again‌‌when‌‌the‌‌machine‌‌is‌‌used.‌‌We‌‌had‌‌to‌‌create‌‌a‌‌truth‌‌table‌‌
from‌‌the‌‌conditions‌‌given‌‌to‌‌us.‌‌Next,‌‌we‌‌had‌‌to‌‌find‌‌the‌‌simplified‌‌logic‌‌expression‌‌from‌‌
the‌‌un-simplified‌‌expression.‌‌After‌‌we‌‌found‌‌that,‌‌we‌‌created‌‌a‌‌digital‌‌representation‌‌of‌‌
the‌‌bread‌‌boarding‌‌to‌‌simplify‌‌the‌‌process‌‌of‌‌actually‌‌bread‌‌boarding.‌‌Once‌‌that‌‌was‌‌
completed,‌‌we‌‌were‌‌able‌‌to‌‌start‌‌bread‌‌boarding.‌‌We‌‌needed‌‌three‌‌74LS08J‌‌gates,‌‌a‌‌
lot‌‌of‌‌wires,‌‌and‌‌an‌‌LED‌‌to‌‌test‌‌the‌‌logic‌‌circuit.‌‌At‌‌first‌‌there‌‌was‌‌an‌‌error‌‌in‌‌our‌‌bread‌‌
boarding‌‌but‌‌we‌‌were‌‌able‌‌to‌‌fix‌‌that‌‌and‌‌get‌‌the‌‌correct‌‌output.‌‌To‌‌make‌‌it‌‌easier‌‌to‌‌
spot‌‌our‌‌errors‌‌we‌‌color‌‌coated‌‌the‌‌wires‌‌based‌‌off‌‌of‌‌which‌‌switch‌‌they‌‌were‌‌
designated‌‌to.‌‌We‌‌were‌‌able‌‌to‌‌easily‌‌locate‌‌wire‌‌that‌‌was‌‌plugged‌‌in‌‌incorrectly‌‌and‌‌fix‌‌
it.‌ ‌
We‌‌read‌‌the‌‌problem‌‌and‌‌sorted‌‌out‌‌the‌‌important‌‌information.‌‌From‌‌that,‌‌we‌‌created‌‌
a‌‌truth‌‌table‌‌from‌‌the‌‌conditions‌‌given‌‌to‌‌us.‌‌Then,‌‌we‌‌wrote‌‌the‌‌un-simplified‌‌logic‌‌
expression‌‌from‌‌the‌‌table.‌‌Using‌‌this‌‌equation,‌‌we‌‌used‌‌circuit‌‌design‌‌software‌‌on‌‌
the‌‌computer‌‌to‌‌build‌‌a‌‌rudimentary‌‌circuit‌‌based‌‌on‌‌that‌‌equation.‌‌To‌‌follow‌‌the‌‌
paths‌‌of‌‌the‌‌inputs,‌‌we‌‌changed‌‌the‌‌colors‌‌of‌‌the‌‌wires‌‌so‌‌that‌‌each‌‌electrical‌‌
pathway‌‌was‌‌easily‌‌identifiable.‌‌Because‌‌of‌‌this,‌‌troubleshooting‌‌was‌‌really‌‌simple‌‌
and‌‌we‌‌were‌‌able‌‌to‌‌find‌‌where‌‌the‌‌inputs‌‌were‌‌not‌‌creating‌‌the‌‌correct‌‌output.‌‌This‌
equation‌‌and‌‌circuit‌‌is‌‌needlessly‌‌complicated‌‌and‌‌uses‌‌too‌‌many‌‌parts,‌‌so‌‌we‌‌
simplified‌‌the‌‌equation‌‌and‌‌then‌‌built‌‌a‌‌circuit‌‌on‌‌the‌‌computer‌‌using‌‌the‌‌newer‌‌
equation.‌‌From‌‌this‌‌digital‌‌circuit‌‌we‌‌built‌‌a‌‌circuit‌‌using‌‌a‌‌breadboard‌‌and‌‌chips‌‌with‌‌
multiple‌‌gates‌‌inside‌‌them.‌‌To‌‌test‌‌that‌‌we‌‌built‌‌it‌‌correctly,‌‌we‌‌used‌‌an‌‌LED‌‌as‌‌the‌‌
signal‌‌that‌‌power‌‌was‌‌coming‌‌through.‌‌There‌‌were‌‌certain‌‌restrictions‌‌we‌‌had‌‌when‌‌
building‌‌the‌‌circuit,‌‌such‌‌as‌‌limiting‌‌ourselves‌‌to‌‌only‌‌2-input‌‌AND‌‌gates,‌‌2-input‌‌OR‌‌
gates,‌‌and‌‌inverters.‌‌While‌‌we‌‌were‌‌building,‌‌we‌‌tested‌‌certain‌‌electrical‌‌pathways‌‌
by‌‌using‌‌LEDs‌‌to‌‌see‌‌if‌‌electricity‌‌was‌‌passing‌‌through.‌
Do‌‌not‌‌be‌‌afraid‌‌of‌‌new‌‌technology,‌‌it‌‌is‌‌all‌‌developed‌‌to‌‌electronically‌‌make‌‌things‌‌
simpler.‌‌For‌‌example,‌‌I‌‌created‌‌a‌‌Majority-Vote‌‌Voting‌‌Machine‌‌that‌‌simulates‌‌the‌‌
president,‌‌vice‌‌president,‌‌secretary,‌‌and‌‌treasurer‌‌voting‌‌on‌‌a‌‌decision‌‌that‌‌
electronically‌‌shows‌‌whether‌‌a‌‌decision‌‌fails‌‌or‌‌passes‌‌based‌‌on‌‌the‌‌inputs‌‌used.‌‌The‌‌
conditions‌‌for‌‌a‌‌decision‌‌to‌‌pass‌‌among‌‌the‌‌board‌‌of‌‌director's‌‌four‌‌members‌‌is‌‌if‌‌three‌‌
or‌‌more‌‌vote‌‌yes.‌‌Each‌‌member‌‌has‌‌one‌‌vote.‌‌However,‌‌in‌‌the‌‌event‌‌of‌‌a‌‌tie,‌‌the‌‌
president's‌‌vote‌‌is‌‌used‌‌to‌‌break‌‌the‌‌tie.‌‌For‌‌example,‌‌if‌‌there‌‌are‌‌two‌‌votes‌‌for‌‌yes‌‌with‌‌
the‌‌president‌‌being‌‌one‌‌of‌‌them,‌‌then‌‌the‌‌vote‌‌passes.‌‌If‌‌the‌‌president‌‌is‌‌one‌‌of‌‌the‌‌
votes‌‌for‌‌no,‌‌then‌‌the‌‌vote‌‌does‌‌not‌‌pass‌‌as‌‌the‌‌president's‌‌vote‌‌is‌‌used‌‌as‌‌the‌‌
tiebreaker‌‌while‌‌not‌‌actually‌‌being‌‌worth‌‌more‌‌than‌‌one‌‌vote.‌‌In‌‌creating‌‌a‌‌design‌‌for‌‌a‌‌
machine‌‌that‌‌does‌‌this,‌‌I‌‌first‌‌created‌‌a‌‌truth‌‌table,‌‌which‌‌is‌‌a‌‌table‌‌of‌‌values‌‌that‌‌
analyzes‌‌all‌‌the‌‌possible‌‌inputs‌‌for‌‌votes‌‌and‌‌what‌‌their‌‌outcomes‌‌would‌‌be‌‌to‌‌
understand‌‌which‌‌combinations‌‌of‌‌votes‌‌I‌‌would‌‌need‌‌to‌‌focus‌‌on‌‌to‌‌create‌‌a‌‌circuit‌‌that‌‌
shows‌‌a‌‌positive‌‌output.‌‌Once‌‌the‌‌table‌‌was‌‌created,‌‌I‌‌wrote‌‌out‌‌an‌‌unsimplified‌‌logic‌‌
expression‌‌in‌‌Sum-Of-Products‌‌form‌‌which‌‌is‌‌the‌‌format‌‌used‌‌to‌‌write‌‌logic‌‌expressions‌‌
out.‌‌After‌‌that‌‌was‌‌done,‌‌I‌‌had‌‌to‌‌simplify‌‌it‌‌since‌‌creating‌‌a‌‌circuit‌‌with‌‌as‌‌many‌‌
expressions‌‌in‌‌the‌‌un-simplified‌‌logic‌‌expression‌‌would‌‌require‌‌many‌‌chips‌‌and‌‌be‌‌too‌‌
hard‌‌to‌‌build.‌‌To‌‌simplify‌‌the‌‌expression,‌‌I‌‌used‌‌boolean‌‌theorems,‌‌which‌‌are‌‌pretty‌‌
much‌‌digital‌‌electronic‌‌versions‌‌of‌‌mathematical‌‌equation‌‌laws‌‌and‌‌rules‌‌that‌‌can‌‌be‌‌
used‌‌to‌‌simplify,‌‌expand,‌‌or‌‌rearrange‌‌equations‌‌and‌‌expressions.‌‌So,‌‌after‌‌doing‌‌many‌‌
steps‌‌of‌‌simplification‌‌using‌‌boolean‌‌algebra,‌‌I‌‌went‌‌from‌‌an‌‌expression‌‌with‌‌eight‌‌parts‌‌
that‌‌would‌‌require‌‌twenty‌‌four‌‌gates‌‌to‌‌an‌‌expression‌‌with‌‌four‌‌parts‌‌that‌‌requires‌‌only‌‌
eight‌‌gates.‌‌Once‌‌creating‌‌the‌‌design‌‌was‌‌done,‌‌all‌‌that‌‌was‌‌left‌‌to‌‌do‌‌was‌‌actually‌‌build‌‌
the‌‌machine‌‌on‌‌a‌‌breadboard.‌‌A‌‌breadboard‌‌is‌‌a‌‌circuit‌‌board‌‌where‌‌electricity‌‌can‌‌flow‌‌
and‌‌we‌‌are‌‌using‌‌these‌‌to‌‌practice‌‌wiring‌‌circuits‌‌and‌‌experimenting‌‌to‌‌see‌‌how‌‌they‌‌
work‌‌along‌‌with‌‌using‌‌them‌‌for‌‌activities‌‌to‌‌learn‌‌about‌‌circuits.‌‌We‌‌used‌‌one‌‌to‌‌build‌‌a‌‌
circuit‌‌that‌‌would‌‌allow‌‌our‌‌majority‌‌vote‌‌machine‌‌to‌‌function.‌‌In‌‌doing‌‌so‌‌we‌‌needed‌‌
three‌‌chips‌‌that‌‌would‌‌act‌‌as‌‌"and‌‌''‌‌and‌‌"or‌‌''‌‌gates,‌‌which‌‌"activate"‌‌if‌‌certain‌‌conditions‌‌
are‌‌met‌‌to‌‌allow‌‌the‌‌current‌‌to‌‌keep‌‌flowing‌‌along‌‌the‌‌circuit.‌‌Once‌‌the‌‌board‌‌was‌‌set‌‌up‌‌
with‌‌proper‌‌chips,‌‌wiring‌‌was‌‌done‌‌following‌‌a‌‌diagram‌‌with‌‌"pin‌‌outs'‌‌'‌‌that‌‌were‌‌
numbered‌‌to‌‌correspond‌‌to‌‌certain‌‌parts‌‌on‌‌each‌‌chip.‌‌Simply‌‌following‌‌this‌‌blueprint‌‌for‌‌
building‌‌the‌‌circuit‌‌was‌‌easy‌‌since‌‌all‌‌the‌‌work‌‌to‌‌create‌‌the‌‌simplest‌‌circuit‌‌was‌‌already‌‌
done‌‌with‌‌the‌‌boolean‌‌algebra‌‌simplification.‌‌Finally,‌‌when‌‌all‌‌the‌‌wires‌‌were‌‌in‌‌their‌‌
proper‌‌place‌‌and‌‌connected,‌‌the‌‌machine‌‌was‌‌done‌‌and‌‌followed‌‌the‌‌protocol‌‌with‌‌the‌‌
light‌‌lighting‌‌up‌‌to‌‌signify‌‌a‌‌decision‌‌being‌‌passed‌‌based‌‌on‌‌the‌‌inputs‌‌representing‌‌
votes‌‌being‌‌yes‌‌or‌‌no.‌ ‌
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