Bitwise

Learn &, |, ^, ~, <<, >> bitwise operators.

Bitwise operators

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

int a = 5;  // 0101
int b = 3;  // 0011
System.out.println(a & b); // 1   (0001)
System.out.println(a | b); // 7   (0111)
System.out.println(a ^ b); // 6   (0110)

They are typically used in low-level programming, masking and flag operations. Everyday programs rarely need them.

Exercise Use bitwise and operator

Write a Main class with a main method. Assign 5 to int a and 3 to int b. Print a & b and a | b with println.

Show example solution

public class Main {
    public static void main(String[] args) {
        int a = 5;
        int b = 3;
        System.out.println(a & b);
        System.out.println(a | b);
    }
}

Shift operators

<< and >> shift bits. a << n shifts the bits of a left by n positions; each shift multiplies by two.

int a = 1;
System.out.println(a << 3); // 8 (1 * 2^3)
System.out.println(16 >> 2); // 4 (16 / 2^2)

These operators can be used for fast multiply/divide, but modern compilers do this automatically. To keep code readable, prefer * and /.

Test yourself

What is the result of 5 & 3?
- 7
- 1
- 6
- 0
Show answer

6 — 5 (0101) ^ 3 (0011) = 6 (0110).
Match the bitwise operators

&

And
|

Or
^

Xor
~

Not

Complete the bitwise or operator

int result = 5 ____ 3;

Show answer

int result = 5 | 3;

Next lesson: Assignment and increment

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