Understanding Bit Shift Operations

Bit shift operations are used to move the bits of a binary number to the left or right, which effectively multiplies or divides the number by powers of two.

Operations:

• Left Shift (`<<`): Moves bits to the left by the specified amount. Adds zeros on the right. This operation multiplies the number by 2 for each shift. Example: `5 << 1` is `10` (binary: `0101 << 1 = 1010`).
• Right Shift (`>>`): Moves bits to the right by the specified amount. Discards bits shifted off. This operation divides the number by 2 for each shift (ignoring remainders). Example: `5 >> 1` is `2` (binary: `0101 >> 1 = 0010`).

Example Calculations

• Left Shift Example:

  • Input Integer: `8` (binary: `1000`)
  • Shift Amount: `2`
  • Operation: `8 << 2`
  • Binary After Shift: `100000`
  • Result: `32`

• Right Shift Example:

  • Input Integer: `36` (binary: `100100`)
  • Shift Amount: `2`
  • Operation: `36 >> 2`
  • Binary After Shift: `1001`
  • Result: `9`

Use the calculator above to experiment with different bit shift operations and see how they work!