Operators

1. AND (&): Sets a result bit when both input bits are 1.
2. OR (: )|Sets a result bit when either input bit is 1.
3. XOR (^): Sets a result bit when the input bits differ.
4. Complement (~): Reverses every bit of the promoted operand.
5. Left shift (<<): Moves bits left and fills the new low positions with zeros for unsigned values.
6. Right shift (>>): For unsigned values, moves bits right and fills the new high positions with zeros.

Worked example

Use a = 12U and b = 10U. Their low four bits are 1100 and 1010. a & b gives 1000, or 8. a | b gives 1110, or 14. a ^ b gives 0110, or 6. Also, 12U << 1 gives 24 and 12U >> 1 gives 6.

Uses

1. Flags: Store several yes/no settings in different bits of one integer.
2. Masks: Select, set or clear required bit positions.
3. Low-level programming: Work with data formats and hardware interfaces where bit positions matter.

Important points

~12U reverses all bits of unsigned int, not only the four displayed bits. A shift count must be non-negative and smaller than the width of the promoted left operand. Signed shifts have extra restrictions. & and | operate on bits; && and || operate on truth values.

Reference tables

Diagram or flowchart

C program and output

/* CodeBhavya | PPS AR25 | Learning example */
#include <stdio.h>
int main(void)
{
    unsigned int a = 12U, b = 10U;
    printf("AND = %u\n", a & b);
    printf("OR = %u\n", a | b);
    printf("XOR = %u\n", a ^ b);
    printf("left shift = %u\n", a << 1);
    printf("right shift = %u\n", a >> 1);
    return 0;
}

AND = 8
OR = 14
XOR = 6
left shift = 24
right shift = 6

Key points

• A displayed four-bit example does not imply a four-bit C integer type.
• Use unsigned values for these bit-pattern examples.