Episode 7.01 - The Need for Bitwise Operations

Digital data has many benefits, but what happens if it's in error? Moreover, how can we tell if a bit has been flipped? Our discussion begins with parity.

Having learned how to program bitwise operations, it is now time to flex our bit bashing muscles by investigating some creative ways to perform common programming functions.

Having learned how to program bitwise operations, it is now time to flex our bit bashing muscles by investigating some creative ways to perform common programming functions.

Inverting or flipping the bits of an integer is the third and last method of "bit bashing" we will discuss. There are two ways to invert bits: either flip all of them at once or use a mask to identify which bits to flip and which to leave alone.

The ability to set bits may not seem important at first, but many algorithms in computing depend on just that. Join us as we control bits and build integers from scratch using the bitwise-OR.

Discussing how to use bitwise operations to manipulate the bits of an integer would be academic if we couldn't perform the operations in our code. The good news is that we can!

Clearing bits within an integer is important if we want to isolate bits or set them to zero before we insert a new value. The bitwise-AND does this for us.

All areas of computing, from data compression to web design, from networking to digital image storage, from system administration to high-performance computing, benefit from bit manipulation.

A demultiplexer takes a single data stream and routes it to a selected output channel, a bit like one of those old A-B printer switches we used to physically select which printer we were sending data to. In this episode, we show how to design one.

A multiplexer, sometimes referred to as a data selector, allows us to select which digital stream to route to an output. Designing this circuit is a lot easier than it sounds.