Circuit Logic: solve the switches shared by six gates
Circuit Logic is now on TAPA GAME. Set binary inputs, read AND and XOR clues, and account for switches shared by several gate targets.
Circuit Logic is a new puzzle on TAPA GAME for anyone who likes answers that can be checked precisely. Toggle lettered inputs between 0 and 1, then match all six gate outputs to their targets. The challenge is that several gates can use the same input.
Start with the strongest constraint
AND gives 1 only when both inputs are 1. If an AND gate has a target of 1, both of its inputs are fixed. OR gives 0 only when both inputs are 0, so a target of 0 is equally useful.
XOR gives 1 when its inputs differ. Once you know one input, that tells you the other. A target of 0 means the pair must match, though they could both be 0 or both be 1.
Read the inverted gates carefully
NAND reverses AND, NOR reverses OR, and XNOR reverses XOR. Work out the base gate's result first, then invert it. This is less error prone than trying to remember a separate set of rules for each name while changing switches.
A satisfied output can become wrong when you toggle an input used elsewhere. Follow every connection from that input before changing it. The puzzle asks for one assignment that works for all outputs at the same time.
Make one change you can explain
Tap an input switch, or select it with the arrows and Enter. U undoes a change and R retries the level. The game has twenty levels.
Pick a gate with a fixed pair of inputs, apply that constraint, then inspect the gates sharing those switches. A small chain of deductions is usually easier to track than a series of hopeful toggles.