Shift Operator in Java
Operators in Java are used to performing operations on variables and values.
Examples of operators: +, -, *, /, >>, <<.
Types of operators:
- Arithmetic Operator,
- Shift Operator,
- Relational Operator,
- Bitwise Operator,
- Logical Operator,
- Ternary Operator and
- Assignment Operator.
In this article, we will mainly focus on the Shift Operators in Java.
By shifting the bits of its first operand right or left, a shift operator performs bit manipulation on data. The shift operators available in the Java programming language are listed below. The shift operator is a java operator that is used to shift bit patterns right or left.
Types of Shift Operator in Java:
Name of operator | Sign | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Signed Left Shift | << | The left shift operator moves all bits by a given number of bits to the left. |
| Signed Right Shift | >> | The right shift operator moves all bits by a given number of bits to the right. |
| Unsigned Right Shift | >>> | It is the same as the signed right shift, But the vacant leftmost position is filled with 0 instead of the sign bit. |
1. Signed Left Shift Operator in Java
This operator is represented by a symbol <<, read as double less than.
Syntax:
left_operand << number
Description:
Calculate the value of number<<2 if number=2.
When the value of a number is shifted to the left two places, the leftmost two bits are lost. The number has a value of two. 0010 is the binary representation of the number 2. In the following example, the method for doing a left shift is explained:
In the example above, the binary number 0010 (in decimal 2) becomes 1000 after shifting the bits to the left (in decimal 8).
Example:
Java
// Java program to demonstrate// the Signed left shift operatorimport java.io.*; class GFG { public static void main(String[] args) { int number = 2; // 2 bit left shift operation int Ans = number << 2; System.out.println(Ans); }} |
8
2. Signed Right Shift Operator in Java
The Right Shift Operator moves the bits of a number a given number of places to the right. The >> sign represents the right shift operator, which is understood as double greater than. When you type x>>n, you tell the computer to move the bits x to the right n places.
When we shift a number to the right, the least significant bits (rightmost) are deleted, and the sign bit is filled in the most considerable place (leftmost).
Syntax:
left_operand >> number
Description:
Calculate the value of number>>2 if number=8.
When the value of a number is shifted to the right two places, the rightmost two bits are lost. The number has a value of eight. 1000 is the binary representation of the number 8. The following is an example of how to perform the right shift:
In the example above, the binary number 1000 (in decimal 8) becomes 0010 after shifting the bits to the right (in decimal 2).
Example:
Java
// Java program to demonstrate// the Signed right shift operatorimport java.io.*; class GFG { public static void main (String[] args) { { int number = 8; // 2 bit signed right shift int Ans = number >> 2; System.out.println(Ans); }} |
2
3. Unsigned Right Shift Operator in Java
Unsigned Right Shift Operator moves the bits of the integer a given number of places to the right. The sign bit was filled with 0s. The Bitwise Zero Fill Right Shift Operator is represented by the symbol >>>.
Syntax:
left_operand >>> number
Java
// Java program to demonstrate// the Unsigned right shift operatorimport java.io.*; class GFG { public static void main (String[] args) { byte num1 = 8; byte num2 = -8; System.out.println(num1 >>> 2); System.out.println(num2 >>> 2); }} |
2 1073741822
Note: For negative bits, the signed and unsigned right shift operators provide different results.
4. Unsigned Left Shift Operator in Java
Unlike unsigned Right Shift, there is no “<<<” operator in Java because the logical (<<) and arithmetic left-shift (<<<) operations are identical.
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