# What is the meaning of JK flip flop's J and K ?

In D flip flop, D means DATA. In SR flip flop S means SET and R means RESET. What is the meaning of JK flip flop's J and K ?

• Only speculation, but quaternions use i, j, and k as unit vectors, such that i*j*k = -1. The flip-flop might be adopting this convention. Then it would be computing Q*J*K with Q=±1, J=1 or j, K=1 or k, the next state being Q=1 if the result is 1, k, or -k, else Q'=1 if -1, j, or -j. (Perhaps another formulation is more elegant.) – Potatoswatter Jan 16 '15 at 1:56

Here's what wikipedia says: -

According to P. L. Lindley, a JPL engineer, the flip-flop types discussed below (RS, D, T, JK) were first discussed in a 1954 UCLA course on computer design by Montgomery Phister, and then appeared in his book Logical Design of Digital Computers. Lindley was at the time working at Hughes Aircraft under Dr. Eldred Nelson, who had coined the term JK for a flip-flop which changed states when both inputs were on. The other names were coined by Phister. They differ slightly from some of the definitions given below. Lindley explains that he heard the story of the JK flip-flop from Dr. Eldred Nelson, who is responsible for coining the term while working at Hughes Aircraft. Flip-flops in use at Hughes at the time were all of the type that came to be known as J-K. In designing a logical system, Dr. Nelson assigned letters to flip-flop inputs as follows: #1: A & B, #2: C & D, #3: E & F, #4: G & H, #5: J & K. Nelson used the notations "j-input" and "k-input" in a patent application filed in 1953.

Here is a link to a Jack Kilby biography that says he started at TI in 1958 and doesn't mention JK flip flops at all.

This TI website about Jack Kilby also doesn't mention JK flip flops either

If you look halfway down column 13 of this patent filed in 1953 (Granted 1958) you will see mention of inputs to a flip flop called J and K. This patent pre-dates Jack Kilby's time at TI by 5 years: -

• And of course the letter I was probably skipped for the same reason that we use $j = \sqrt{-1}$ in electronics. :) – Kaz Aug 24 '13 at 0:07
• @Kaz - don't mention that to the mathematics guys – Andy aka Aug 24 '13 at 0:09
• @Kaz: I don't think so: as much as I know often the letter i is skipped when letters are used for numbering (actually "lettering") because i and j or I and 1 look so similar and may get confused. It is rather an optional convention. In electronics it seems to be another problem (often it's no problem when several very similar letters are used at the same time: e.g. $\nu$ and v or $\omega$ and w etc.). The problem in electronics is that exactly the same letter i normally used for imaginary unit is also used for current. So one must yield necessarily. – Curd Oct 24 '16 at 21:58
• So it's been long since I was in school, but as soon as I read the question, my memory told me: "Jordan & Kelly". So I've tried searching for it, and wikipedia tells me: "The first electronic flip-flop was invented in 1918 by [...] William Eccles and F. W. Jordan." So the 'Jordan' could be right (tribute to him?). Maybe my 'Kelly' should be 'Kilby' but that's not what I recall, and it's pretty clear by now that he had nothing to do with it. Anyone ever heard of this 'Jordan & Kelly(?)' explanation? Or is my memory failing me? – MartinF Aug 15 '18 at 12:23

Actually, the choice of the letters "JK" in the JK flip flop do have significance. The JK flip flop was named after Jack Kilby, the Texas Instruments engineer that invented the integrated circuit in 1958. The modified RS circuit that eliminated race conditions was named JK in his honor.

Search for "JK" and "Jack Kilby" simultaneously to see multiple sources for this.

• Well you learn something every day - I thought it was him off of Jamiroquai... – John U Aug 23 '13 at 15:35
• @AnandKumarRai OK comment deleted but there is some dispute about the truth in this - according to my answer a patent was filed in 1953 and I don't think Kilby began work at TI until 1958. I may be wrong but it's still interesting. – Andy aka Aug 23 '13 at 15:55
• There really isn't any compelling evidence to support this claim. (1) There are earlier references to the JK inputs, (2) there is no direct evidence of the honorific naming ever explicitly taking place -- which means the association with Kilby is probably just coincidental, (3) Kilby did not invent the JK FF -- which would mean that someone or organization would have needed to explicitly name it in his honor, (4) it was patented Nelson et. al. not Kilby prior to Kilby being at TI, (5) you'd think TI would have mentioned it, no? – DrFriedParts Aug 23 '13 at 17:02
• This answer is also directly lifted from the linked source, there is very little authorship and only indirect attribution. – placeholder Aug 23 '13 at 17:51

A JK flip flop is a refinement of SR flip flop in that indeterminate state of the SR type is defined in the JK type.inputs J and K behave like inputs S and R to set and clear the flip flop (note that in a JK flip flop,the letter J is for set and the letter K is for clear).

• The question was about how the jk flip flop got its name, not about what it does. – JRE Mar 6 at 14:01
• The JK flip flop was named after Jack Kilby, the Texas Instruments engineer that invented the integrated circuit in 1958. – Faizza TN Mar 7 at 15:20
• No, it was not named for Jack Kilby. Did you even read any of the rest of the answers? – JRE Mar 7 at 15:50

Here jk stand for "jACK S.. Kilby " the founder of monolithic integrated circuit .

Here is more about Jack kilby and the first integrated circuit.

1. He was born in Missouri and earned degrees in electrical engineering from university of Illinois and university of Wisconsin.

2. In 1958 ,he worked at the centralab division of globe Union, In Milwaukee.

3. In 1958 he joined Texas Instruments in Dallas where he was responsible for integrated circuit development .

4. Kilby left Texas instruments in 1970.

• And you missed the other answer that shows the true source of jk, and explains how Jack Kilby had jack to with jk? – JRE Jul 11 '17 at 15:04