Which component can perform the function of both an AND gate and a NOT gate?

The correct choice is the NAND gate, which is capable of functioning as both an AND gate and a NOT gate due to its inherent characteristics.

When analyzed, a NAND gate produces an output that is the inverse of an AND gate's output. In simple terms, it gives a high output (1) unless all its inputs are high (1), at which point it outputs a low (0). This property allows it to represent the NOT operation when its input is fed into it singularly: if you take a single input, the NAND gate's output is effectively the NOT of that input.

For instance, if you have an input A, the NAND gate will output (A NAND A), which is equivalent to NOT A (in binary, if A is 1, NOT A is 0, and vice versa). It showcases the versatility of the NAND gate in digital circuits, making it a fundamental building block in designing various types of logic circuits.

In contrast, the other components listed do not exhibit this dual functionality. The NOR gate primarily acts as an OR gate followed by a NOT operation, whereas the XOR gate is used for comparing two inputs and providing a high output only when one of them is high but not both, and the AND