In Python, it is possible to perform bit-level operations on numbers. This is especially helpful while parsing information from certain sensors. For example, Some sensors share their output at a certain frequency. When a new data point is available, a certain bit is set indicating that the data is available. Bitwise operators can be used to check whether a particular bit is set before retrieving the datapoint from the sensor.
If you are interested in a deep dive on bitwise operators, we recommend getting started at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bitwise_operation.
Consider the numbers 3 and 2 whose binary equivalents are 011 and 010, respectively. Let's take a look at different operators that perform the operation on every bit of the number:
- The AND operator: The AND operator is used to perform the AND operation on two numbers. Try this using the Python interpreter:
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