Final answer:
On a Karnaugh Map, ones can be grouped even if not visually adjacent by considering the map's edges and cyclic nature that allows for grouping across boundaries.
Step-by-step explanation:
When ones on a Karnaugh Map are not next to each other visually, they can be grouped if they are next to each other through the edges or by means of the map's cyclic nature, which allows opposite edges to be considered adjacent. This is done to simplify the boolean expression that the map represents. The grouping occurs because the Karnaugh Map is designed to take advantage of spatial relationships where the map “wraps around,” enabling grouping across the map's boundaries. This attribute of the Karnaugh Map is a powerful tool for simplifying logic circuits in digital electronics.
The means of grouping ones in a Karnaugh Map that are not next to each other visually is through the principle of proximity. The principle of proximity states that things that are close to one another tend to be grouped together. In the context of a Karnaugh Map, this means that ones that are physically distant but are still close in terms of their binary representation can be grouped together.