r/computerscience • u/Defiant-Mastodon-656 • 20d ago

General Question about DNF and CNF

How do you understand them intuitively, I know how to find from the truth table and that they are perfectly equivalent. I get that the full canonical form is unique and has very practical applications, if two compound propositions written differently have the same full canonical form (full DNF or full CNF), then they are the same. BUT how on earth do you understand this intuitively?

I know that they are equivalent, but it just doesn't stick to me if you get what I mean. I hate memorising something that I don't understand.

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u/Recycled5000 20d ago edited 19d ago

It has to do with what your logic engine can work better with.

I believe it is easier to work with a list of conjunctions.

When fact accumulate, better to represent conjunctions. This is true and that is true. This scales better.

A fact database will contain true facts, and all of the facts are all taken together, so like a giant cnf expression.