Boolean Functions

Introduction

Let Failed to parse (SVG (MathML can be enabled via browser plugin): Invalid response ("Math extension cannot connect to Restbase.") from server "https://wikimedia.org/api/rest_v1/":): {\displaystyle \mathbb{F}_2^n} be the vector space of dimension n over the finite field with two elements. The vector space can also be endowed with the structure of the field, the finite field with $2^{n}{\mbox{ elements, }}\mathbb {F} _{2^{n}}$. A function Failed to parse (SVG (MathML can be enabled via browser plugin): Invalid response ("Math extension cannot connect to Restbase.") from server "https://wikimedia.org/api/rest_v1/":): {\displaystyle f : \mathbb{F}_2^n\rightarrow\mathbb{F}} is called a Boolean function in dimenstion n (or n-variable Boolean function).

Given Failed to parse (SVG (MathML can be enabled via browser plugin): Invalid response ("Math extension cannot connect to Restbase.") from server "https://wikimedia.org/api/rest_v1/":): {\displaystyle x=(x_1,\ldots,x_n)\in\mathbb{F}_2^n} , the support of x is the set Failed to parse (SVG (MathML can be enabled via browser plugin): Invalid response ("Math extension cannot connect to Restbase.") from server "https://wikimedia.org/api/rest_v1/":): {\displaystyle supp_x=\{i\in\{1,\ldots,n\} : x_i=1 \}} . The Hamming weight of x is the size of its support (Failed to parse (SVG (MathML can be enabled via browser plugin): Invalid response ("Math extension cannot connect to Restbase.") from server "https://wikimedia.org/api/rest_v1/":): {\displaystyle w_H(x)=|supp_x|} ). Similarly the Hamming weight of a Boolean function f is the size of its support, i.e. the set Failed to parse (SVG (MathML can be enabled via browser plugin): Invalid response ("Math extension cannot connect to Restbase.") from server "https://wikimedia.org/api/rest_v1/":): {\displaystyle \{x\in\mathbb{F}_2^n : f(x)\ne0 \}} . The Hamming distance of two functions f,g is the size of the set Failed to parse (SVG (MathML can be enabled via browser plugin): Invalid response ("Math extension cannot connect to Restbase.") from server "https://wikimedia.org/api/rest_v1/":): {\displaystyle \{x\in\mathbb{F}_2^n : f(x)\neq g(x) \}\ (w_H(f\oplus g))} .

Representation of a Boolean function

There exist different ways to represent a Boolean function. A simple, but often not efficient, one is by its truth-table. For example consider the following truth-table for a 3-variable Boolean function f.

x			f(x)
0	0	0	0
0	0	1	1
0	1	0	0
0	1	1	0
1	0	0	0
1	0	1	1
1	1	0	0
1	1	1	1

Algebraic normal form

An n-variable Boolean function can be represented by a multivariate polynomial over Failed to parse (SVG (MathML can be enabled via browser plugin): Invalid response ("Math extension cannot connect to Restbase.") from server "https://wikimedia.org/api/rest_v1/":): {\displaystyle \mathbb{F}} of the form

Failed to parse (SVG (MathML can be enabled via browser plugin): Invalid response ("Math extension cannot connect to Restbase.") from server "https://wikimedia.org/api/rest_v1/":): {\displaystyle f(x)=\bigoplus_{I\subseteq\{1,\ldots,n\}}a_i\Big(\prod_{i\in I}x_i\Big)\in\mathbb{F}_2[x_1,\ldots,x_n]/(x_1^2\oplus x_1,\ldots,x_n^2\oplus x_n). }

Such representation is unique and it is the algebraic normal form of f (shortly ANF).

The degree of the ANF is called the algebraic degree of the function, Failed to parse (SVG (MathML can be enabled via browser plugin): Invalid response ("Math extension cannot connect to Restbase.") from server "https://wikimedia.org/api/rest_v1/":): {\displaystyle d^0f=\max \{ |I| : a_I\ne0 \}} .