Shift operators were always confusing for me. So I thought of revising old lessons like converting numbers to binary, shift operators, etc.. once again.

Converting integer to binary

These are one of the first lessons which I learned when I started learning computing. Even though computers use 32/64 bits for a integer, for ease I am using only 8 bits.

So in 8 bits, we can represent integers from 0(00000000) to 255(11111111) if they are unsigned. When it comes to signed integers its bit confusing, In 8 bits, we can represent -128(11111111) to +127(01111111) signed integers.ie., if the 8th bit is 1 its a negative number. In another way, 0-127 are positive and 128-255 are negative.

So how to convert a negative number into binary?

Lets our number be -10, so the esiest way to find the binary

256 + (-10)
256 - 10 = 246

Converting 246 to binary, gives you 11110110. which is equalent binary for -10.

Another way to find the binary of negative numbers is,

• Take the binary of postitive number
• Find 1’s compliment (inverting all 0’s to 1’s and 1’s to 0’s )
• Add 1 to it.

To find -10’s binary, first we find binary of 10, which is 00001010.

10 converted to 00001010
1's compliment of 00001010 is 11110101
Add 1 to it : 11110101 + 1 = 11110110

So here I am gonna address 3 shift operators which revised recently, which are

• >> (Signed right shift)
• << (Signed left shift)
• >>> (Unsigned right shift)

>> (Signed right shift)

On 10 >> 1, here 10 is converted to binary as 00001010 and shit the bits 1 position to the right. Which results 00000101 equalant of 5 in decimal.

On -10 >> 1, -10 is converted to binary as 11110110 and when shifts to 1 position to right it becomes 11111011 which is equalant to -5.

<< (Signed left shift)

On 10 << 1, here the difference is, it shift the bits 1 posision to its left. which results 00010100 equalant of 20 in decimal. On -10, in the same way after shift it become 11101100 equalant to -20

>>> (Unsigned right shift)

On 10 >>> 1, here the processing of positive integers are same the >> (right shift) but bit different for the negative numbers.

On -10 >>> 1, the binary equalant of -10 is 11110110. now shift 1 postition to right, adding zero’s on left. which results 01111011 converting this to decimal (discarding sign) will result 123.