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Bitwise Operators in C

Bitwise operators in C operate on individual bits of integer operands. They are used for low-level programming, such as setting, clearing, and toggling bits.

Bitwise AND (&)

Performs logical AND on each bit of two integers. The result bit is 1 only if both corresponding bits are 1.

Example: a & b

Bitwise OR (|)

Performs logical OR on each bit of two integers. The result bit is 1 if either of the corresponding bits is 1.

Example: a | b

Bitwise XOR (^)

Performs logical XOR on each bit. The result bit is 1 if the corresponding bits are different.

Example: a ^ b

Bitwise NOT (~)

Inverts all the bits of the operand (0 becomes 1, 1 becomes 0).

Example: ~a

Left Shift (<<)

Shifts the bits of the operand to the left by the specified number of positions. Vacated bits are filled with 0.

Example: a << 2 // shifts bits of a left by 2 positions

Right Shift (>>)

Shifts the bits of the operand to the right by the specified number of positions. Vacated bits depend on the type (0 for unsigned, sign bit for signed).

Example: a >> 2 // shifts bits of a right by 2 positions

Key Points

  • Bitwise operators work only on integer types
  • Useful in embedded programming, flags, masks, and performance optimization
  • Operate directly on the binary representation of numbers
  • Order of precedence: ~ > << >> > & > ^ > |

Common Mistakes

  • Using bitwise operators instead of logical operators accidentally
  • Assuming results are decimal values without considering binary effect
  • Shifting by more than the number of bits in the type
  • Not using parentheses in complex expressions (operator precedence matters)