Count Gate Levels and Identify the Critical Path in a Three-Level Circuit
The maximum clock frequency of a digital system is strictly limited by the longest propagation delay through its combinational logic.
The schematic displays a combinational logic block with four inputs (A, B, C, D) and one output (Y). Input A routes through an inverter (U1) directly into a three-input OR gate (U4). Inputs B and C feed into an AND gate (U2), which connects to an XOR gate (U3), which then feeds into the final OR gate (U4). Input D passes through a buffer (U5) and connects to the final OR gate (U4).
Trace all signal paths from input to output. Determine the critical path and calculate the maximum logic depth of the circuit.
Constraints
- Assume all gates have equal propagation delay.
- Ignore wire routing delay and setup/hold times for this analysis.
Topics
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Place the gates, wire them up and watch the signals settle. Every submission runs on the same simulation engine that grades it.
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