hello, i have been tasked to design and test a 5 to 3 priority encoder. However, i am confused. Don't encoders take information from 2^n bits into an n-bit code. Wouldn't it be possible to create 5 to 3 encoder, or should i try and design an 8 to 3 encoder.

 

I believe a 5 to 3 encoder basically the same as an 8 to 3 encoder. You just don't add the circuitry for the last three inputs.