The minimum number of switches in the simplified form of the following switching circuit is

Step-by-step solution

Let the switches S₁, S₂, S₃ be represented by boolean variables p, q, r respectively. Then S₁', S₂' represent their complements p', q' . The given switching circuit consists of three parallel branches. We can write the boolean expression for the circuit as: L = (S₁ S₂) + (S₁' S₂) + (S₃ S₂') Substituting the variables, we get: L = (p q) + (p' q) + (r q') Now, we simplify the boolean expression: Factor out q from the first two terms: L = q (p + p') + r q' Since p + p' = 1 (a boolean variable and its complement always