Practical C++

Chapter 18. Manipulating Bits

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• Learn about bit numbering

• Find out how to declare and use bit fields

• Discover the bit operators

• Learn how to manipulate bits within variables

• Explore bit-shifting and the bit-shift operators

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Working with Bits

In Chapter 17, “Analyzing the Mathematics of Memory,” you learned the inner workings of binary and hexadecimal numeration. In this chapter, you’ll build on that knowledge and learn how to adjust individual bits as you see fit. The shroud of mystery that surrounds this low-level world of bits and bytes will fall away, revealing to you the elegance of bit operations.

As you’ll recall, there are eight bits in a byte; the C++ bit operators let you manipulate the individual bits within a byte as you ...