Bitwise operators

Learn bitwise operations with &, |, ^, ~, << and >>.

Bitwise operators

Bitwise operators work on the binary representation of integers bit by bit: & (and), | (or), ^ (xor), ~ (not), << (left shift), >> (right shift).

For example, 12 & 10: 12 = 1100, 10 = 1010, binary and → 1000 = 8. 12 | 10 → 1110 = 14.

<< and >> shift bits: 1 << 3 = 8 (1 shifts three positions left). It is faster than multiply/divide; common in flag operations.

Bitwise shift

The << and >> operators shift bits left or right. Each left shift multiplies by two: 5 << 1 = 10. Each right shift divides by two: 20 >> 1 = 10.

Shifting is a fast multiply/divide method but only for powers of two. x << 3 is the same as x * 8.

It is also used for flag operations: flags | (1 << 3) sets the 3rd flag, flags & ~(1 << 3) clears it. This pattern is common in low-level programming.

Exercise Print bitwise results

Inside main, declare int a = 12; and int b = 10;. Perform two bitwise operations: int andResult = a & b; and int orResult = a | b;. Print both on separate lines with std::cout using std::endl.

Show example solution

#include <iostream>

int main() {
    // Declare a and b
    int a = 12;
    int b = 10;
    // Do & and | operations and print them
    int andResult = a & b;
    int orResult = a | b;
    std::cout << andResult << std::endl;
    std::cout << orResult << std::endl;
    return 0;
}

Test yourself

Bitwise and

int result = a ____ b;

Show answer

int result = a & b;

Match bitwise operators

&

Bitwise and
|

Bitwise or
^

Bitwise xor
<<

Left shift
What is the result of 12 & 5?
- 4
- 17
- 60
- 0
Show answer

4 — 12=1100, 5=0101, 12 & 5 = 0100 = 4.

Next lesson: Summary - Operators

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