Python Bitwise Operators

Bitwise operators work directly on the binary representations of integers. They operate bit by bit (each binary digit) and are commonly used in low-level programming, performance optimization, and tasks involving flags or masks.

Common Bitwise Operators in Python

Explanation and Examples

Let's take two numbers for examples:

a = 60  # In binary: 0011 1100
b = 13  # In binary: 0000 1101

1. Bitwise AND (&)

Sets each bit to 1 only if both bits are 1.

result = a & b
# 0011 1100
# 0000 1101
# --------
# 0000 1100  => 12 in decimal

print(result)  # Output: 12

2. Bitwise OR (|)

Sets each bit to 1 if either bit is 1.

result = a | b
# 0011 1100
# 0000 1101
# --------
# 0011 1101  => 61 in decimal

print(result)  # Output: 61

3. Bitwise XOR (^)

Sets each bit to 1 if only one of the bits is 1 (but not both).

result = a ^ b
# 0011 1100
# 0000 1101
# --------
# 0011 0001  => 49 in decimal

print(result)  # Output: 49

4. Bitwise NOT (~)

Inverts all bits (flips 0s to 1s and 1s to 0s). Note: Python uses two’s complement for negative numbers.

result = ~a
# a = 60 (0011 1100)
# ~a = 1100 0011 (in two's complement, represents -61)

print(result)  # Output: -61

5. Left Shift (<<)

Shifts bits to the left by the specified number of positions, filling with zeros on the right.

result = a << 2
# 0011 1100 << 2 -> 1111 0000
# decimal 240

print(result)  # Output: 240

6. Right Shift (>>)

Shifts bits to the right by the specified number of positions, discarding bits on the right.

result = a >> 2
# 0011 1100 >> 2 -> 0000 1111
# decimal 15

print(result)  # Output: 15

Summary Table with Output

a = 60  # 0011 1100
b = 13  # 0000 1101

print("a & b =", a & b)   # 12
print("a | b =", a | b)   # 61
print("a ^ b =", a ^ b)   # 49
print("~a =", ~a)         # -61
print("a << 2 =", a << 2) # 240
print("a >> 2 =", a >> 2) # 15