Definition
In digital electronics, one of two possible conditions of a circuit or signal: high (typically representing the binary digit 1) or low (typically representing the binary digit 0). The two states correspond to specific voltage levels defined by the circuit's design.
Plain English
A digital circuit is always in one of two conditions, usually called high or low, on or off, or 1 or 0. The logic state is simply which of those two conditions the circuit is in at a given moment.
Context Anchor
Seen in aircraft electronics, avionics, and troubleshooting discussions where switches, sensors, or computers send simple electrical information.
Derivation
Logic comes from the Greek logikē, meaning reasoning. In digital electronics it refers to circuits that make decisions based on yes/no (true/false) conditions. State simply means the condition something is in. So a logic state is the current true-or-false condition of a digital signal.
Why Pilots Care
Knowing the logic state of signals helps technicians diagnose why certain aircraft systems are or are not functioning.
Analogy
Think of a light switch. At any moment it's either up (on) or down (off) — there is no in-between. A digital circuit's logic state works the same way.
Intuition Check
Logic state does not mean a reasoning process or a geographic state. Here it means the electrical condition a digital circuit recognizes as one value or the other.
Example Sentence 1
When the technician probed the circuit, the meter showed a low logic state, indicating the signal was off.
Example Sentence 2
A shift in logic state from low to high activated the landing gear warning horn.