Computer Science – 4.3 Bit manipulation | e-Consult

Initial Value: 11010101 (Binary) = 205 (Decimal)

Left Shift by 4 bits:

Binary: 11010101 -> 1101010100

Decimal: 205 * 2⁴ = 205 * 16 = 3280

Right Shift by 2 bits:

Binary: 1101010100 -> 0011010100

Decimal: 3280 / 2² = 3280 / 4 = 820

Discussion of Right Shift with Negative Numbers:

If the initial value were negative, the right shift operation would perform sign extension. This means the most significant bit (the sign bit) would be copied into the vacated positions on the left. For example, if the number were -1 (binary 11111111), shifting right by 2 would result in 11111111, which is -1 in decimal. However, the behavior can vary depending on the architecture and the specific implementation of the right shift operator. Some architectures use an arithmetic right shift, while others use a logical right shift. An arithmetic right shift preserves the sign, while a logical right shift fills the vacated positions with zeros. Therefore, it's crucial to understand the architecture's behavior when working with signed integers and right shift operations.