thumb|400px|[[Hasse diagram of the search graph of the algorithm for 3 variables. Given e.g. the subset <math>S = \{abc, a\overline{b}c, \overline{a}bc, \overline{a}b\overline{c}, \overline{a}\overline{b}c \}</math> of the bottom-level nodes (light green), the algorithm computes a minimal set of nodes (here: <math>\{ \overline{a}b, c \}</math>, dark green) that covers exactly <math>S</math>.]]

The Quine–McCluskey algorithm (QMC), also known as the method of prime implicants or the tabulation method, is a method used for minimization of Boolean functions that was developed by Willard V. Quine in 1952

Step two of the algorithm amounts to solving the set cover problem;

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Further reading

  • (viii+635 pages) (NB. This book was reprinted by Chin Jih in 1969.)
  • (47 pages)
  • (4 pages)
  • [https://www.researchgate.net/publication/228862329_WWW-based_Boolean_function_minimization][https://archive.today/20180115131301/http://matwbn.icm.edu.pl/ksiazki/amc/amc13/amc13414.pdf] (7 pages)
  • [https://web.archive.org/web/20120313031147/http://www.compasss.org/files/WPfiles/Dusa2007.pdf] (22 pages)
  • (16 pages) (NB.<!-- A series of two articles describing the algorithm(s) implemented in R. The R implementation is exhaustive and it offers complete and exact solutions. It processes up to 20 input variables. -->
  • Tutorial Tutorial on Quine-McCluskey and Petrick's method.
  • For a fully worked out example visit: http://www.cs.ualberta.ca/~amaral/courses/329/webslides/Topic5-QuineMcCluskey/sld024.htm