Thread: Checking bits in a bitwise operation

  1. #1
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    Checking bits in a bitwise operation

    I'm working on a homework assignment, and this specific part of it is confusing me:

    Then use masking and shifting operations to decode the number. For each of the four possible diagnostics, mask off the right-hand bit. If it is 1, set the corresponding level variable to true. Then right-shift one bit and repeat.

    My only problem is that I don't know how to refer to this specific bit and check it. I tried doing this:

    Code:
    if (arg[0] == 0b1)
              boolVar = true;
    arg = arg >> 1;
    //repeat for other bits
    and learned that apparently you can't treat a number in this case like an array. So how would I be able to refer to this bit?

  2. #2
    Hurry Slowly vart's Avatar
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    All problems in computer science can be solved by another level of indirection,
    except for the problem of too many layers of indirection.
    – David J. Wheeler

  3. #3
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    Code:
    int a = 3;
    
    //test if Low Order bit is true
    if( a & 1)cout << "Least significant bit is 1\n";
    what happens here is the value stored in a 0000 0011 is bitwise-anded with 0000 0001 which returns 0000 0001. which is true!

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