bitwise

1 definition found

bitwise - Free On-line Dictionary of Computing (26 May 2007) :

  bitwise
  
     <programming> A bitwise operator treats its operands as a
     vector of bits rather than a single number.  Boolean
     bitwise operators combine bit N of each operand using a
     Boolean function (NOT, AND, OR, XOR) to produce bit
     N of the result.
  
     For example, a bitwise AND operator ("&" in C) would
     evaluate 13 & 9 as (binary) 1101 & 1001 = 1001 = 9, whereas,
     the logical AND, (C "&&") would evaluate 13 && 9 as TRUE &&
     TRUE = TRUE = 1.
  
     In some languages, e.g. Acorn's BASIC V, the same operators
     are used for both bitwise and logical operations.  This
     usually works except when applying NOT to a value x which is
     neither 0 (false) nor -1 (true), in which case both x and (NOT
     x) will be non-zero and thus treated as TRUE.
  
     Other operations at the bit level, which are not normally
     described as "bitwise" include shift and rotate.
  
     (1995-05-12)