gately

Create a Full Adder

Expand standard addition by accepting carry-overs from previous computational columns.

Processing Carries

A Half Adder adds two numbers beautifully, but it functionally breaks if you try to chain them together because it absolutely ignores ‘Carry bits’ spilling over from the previous mathematical column!

A Full Adder effectively addresses this by accepting three distinct inputs: A, B, and Carry In.

Cascading Architecture

Instead of wiring everything randomly, think modularly! A Full Adder is effectively just two individual Half Adders smashed together, bridged safely by a single trailing OR Gate. Notice how complex the wiring topology becomes as logic compounds. Toggle all three inputs in the embedded simulator below to definitively prove 1 + 1 + 1 = Sum 1, Carry 1.

ABCarry InCarry OutSum
00000
00101
01001
01110
10001
10110
11010
11111

By sequentially linking multiple Full Adders in a row (Outputting a Carry directly into the Input Carry of the next module), you definitively construct a Ripple Carry Processor allowing you to rapidly compute arbitrarily large math!

Gately

A visual logic editor for building, simulating, and sharing digital circuits with ease. Drag, drop, and explore logic.

© 2026 Gately