What\'s the Difference Between Bitwise and Logical Operators in Programming?

Clarifying the Differences between Bitwise and Logical Operators

In programming, boolean operators play a crucial role in decision-making and flow control. However, when it comes to bitwise operators (& and |) and logical operators (&& and ||), the distinctions can be confusing.

Understanding Bitwise Operators

Bitwise operators perform operations on individual bits within the binary representation of their inputs. Unlike logical operators, they don't evaluate true or false but instead manipulate the actual bit patterns.

For example, consider the following:

int a = 6; // 110 (binary)
int b = 4; // 100 (binary)

// Bitwise AND (a & b)
int c = a & b;
//   110
// & 100
// -----
//   100 (binary)

// Bitwise OR (a | b)
int d = a | b;
//   110
// | 100
// -----
//   110 (binary)

In this case, the bitwise AND (a & b) result in 100 (decimal), which is the common bits set to 1 in both a and b. Conversely, the bitwise OR (a | b) results in 110, which is the bits set to 1 in either a or b.

Contrasting with Logical Operators

Logical operators, on the other hand, operate on boolean values (true or false) and behave as follows:

• Logical AND (a && b): Returns true if both a and b are true, otherwise false.
• Logical OR (a || b): Returns true if either a or b is true, otherwise false.

Key Behavioral Differences

The main difference between bitwise and logical operators is in their evaluation logic:

• Bitwise operators work on bit patterns and perform bit-level operations.
• Logical operators work on boolean values and evaluate truthfulness.

Furthermore, logical operators short-circuit while bitwise operators do not. Short-circuiting means that the evaluation stops as soon as the result is known. This difference becomes important when dealing with potential exceptions or unwanted side effects.

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