What are some exercises to practice Python bitwise operators?

What are some exercises to practice Python bitwise operators?

Here are a few exercises you can try:

1. Write a function that takes two integers and returns their bitwise AND.
2. Create a program that swaps two numbers using bitwise XOR.
3. Implement a function that counts the number of 1s in the binary representation of a number.

Can you explain how the bitwise XOR operation works?

Sure! The bitwise XOR operation compares each bit of two numbers. If the bits are different, it returns 1; if they are the same, it returns 0. For example, 5 (101 in binary) XOR 3 (011 in binary) results in 6 (110 in binary).

What is the difference between bitwise AND and bitwise OR?

The bitwise AND operation returns 1 only if both bits are 1, while the bitwise OR operation returns 1 if at least one of the bits is 1. For example, 5 (101) AND 3 (011) gives 1 (001), and 5 (101) OR 3 (011) gives 7 (111).

Can you give me a real-world example of using bitwise operators?

Certainly! Bitwise operators are often used in low-level programming, such as in graphics programming for manipulating pixel data, or in network programming for setting and clearing flags in protocol headers.