1. What Are Bit Shift Operations?

Bit shifting is an operation that moves the bits of a binary number left or right. Left shifting multiplies the number by 2 for each shift, while right shifting divides by 2 (integer division).

2. How Does the Calculator Work?

The calculator performs two basic bit shift operations:

Where:

• \( x \) — Integer input number
• \( n \) — Number of bits to shift
• \( \lfloor \rfloor \) — Floor function (integer division)

Explanation: Each left shift doubles the number, each right shift halves it (with truncation).

3. Applications of Bit Shifting

Details: Bit shifting is fundamental in low-level programming for efficient multiplication/division, cryptography, graphics programming, and data compression.

4. Using the Calculator

Tips: Enter any integer and the number of bits to shift. Select left shift (multiplication) or right shift (division). The calculator shows both the mathematical operation and the result.

5. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Q1: What's the difference between arithmetic and logical right shift?
A: This calculator performs arithmetic right shift (preserves sign for signed numbers). Logical right shift always fills with zeros.

Q2: What happens when bits are shifted beyond the variable size?
A: The behavior is language-dependent, but typically the extra bits are discarded.

Q3: Can I shift floating-point numbers?
A: Bit shifting is typically only defined for integer types. Floating-point numbers use a different binary representation.

Q4: Why use bit shifting instead of multiplication?
A: In low-level code, bit shifts are often faster than multiplication/division operations.

Q5: What's the maximum number of bits I can shift?
A: The calculator limits to 64 bits (size of 64-bit integers), though practical limits depend on the size of your input number.