Bitwise Calculator in C

C Bitwise Operations:

    &  - Bitwise AND
    |  - Bitwise OR
    ^  - Bitwise XOR
    ~  - Bitwise NOT
    << - Left shift
    >> - Right shift

First Number:

Second Number (for binary ops):

Operation:

Shift Amount (for shift ops):

Result (Decimal):

Result (Binary):

Result (Hex):

Unit Converter ▲

Unit Converter ▼

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1. What are Bitwise Operations?

Bitwise operations perform calculations on binary representations of numbers at the bit level. These operations are fundamental in low-level programming, system design, and performance-critical applications.

2. How Bitwise Calculator Works

The calculator performs the following operations:

AND (&):   Bitwise AND - 1 if both bits are 1
OR (|):    Bitwise OR - 1 if either bit is 1
XOR (^):   Bitwise XOR - 1 if bits are different
NOT (~):   Bitwise NOT - inverts all bits
<<:        Left shift - shifts bits left, filling with 0
>>:        Right shift - shifts bits right

3. Common Uses of Bitwise Operations

Details: Bitwise operations are used in:

Flag manipulation and bitmasking
Low-level hardware control
Cryptography algorithms
Data compression
Optimizing arithmetic operations

4. Using the Calculator

Tips: Enter integers for calculation. For shift operations, specify the number of bits to shift. Results are shown in decimal, binary, and hexadecimal formats.

5. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Q1: Why use bitwise operations?
A: They provide extremely fast, low-level operations that are useful for system programming, hardware interaction, and performance optimization.

Q2: What's the difference between logical and bitwise operators?
A: Logical operators work on boolean values, while bitwise operators work on individual bits of integer values.

Q3: How does two's complement affect bitwise NOT?
A: Bitwise NOT inverts all bits, including the sign bit in two's complement representation, which affects the decimal result.

Q4: When should I use shifts vs multiplication/division?
A: Shifts are faster but only work for powers of two. Modern compilers often optimize multiplication/division by powers of two into shifts.

Q5: Are bitwise operations portable across platforms?
A: Mostly, but behavior may vary with signed integers (right shift) and different integer sizes.