C Bitwise Operators Practice Questions with Solutions

Bitwise operators are special operators in C Programming that perform operations directly on the binary representation of numbers. Unlike arithmetic operators, bitwise operators manipulate individual bits, making them extremely fast and memory-efficient.

Bitwise operations are widely used in:

Embedded Systems
Device Drivers
Operating Systems
Networking
Cryptography
Data Compression
Graphics Programming
Competitive Programming

The six primary bitwise operators in C are:

Operator	Description
`&`	Bitwise AND
`	`
`^`	Bitwise XOR
`~`	Bitwise NOT
`<<`	Left Shift
`>>`	Right Shift

Understanding these operators helps programmers write optimized code and solve low-level programming problems efficiently.

In this chapter, you’ll practice the most important bitwise operator programs with complete solutions, sample outputs, explanations, and concepts covered. C Bitwise Operators practice questions with solutions help to build concepts.

1. C Program to Perform Bitwise AND Operation

Problem Statement

Write a C program to perform the Bitwise AND operation on two numbers.

C Solution

#include <stdio.h>

int main()
{
    int firstNumber = 12;
    int secondNumber = 10;

    printf("Bitwise AND = %d",
           firstNumber & secondNumber);

    return 0;
}

Sample Output

Bitwise AND = 8

Explanation

Binary Representation:

12 = 1100
10 = 1010
------------
AND=1000 = 8

The Bitwise AND operator returns 1 only if both corresponding bits are 1.

Concepts Covered

Bitwise AND
Binary Numbers
Bit Manipulation

2. C Program to Perform Bitwise OR Operation

Problem Statement

Write a C program to perform the Bitwise OR operation.

C Solution

#include <stdio.h>

int main()
{
    int firstNumber = 12;
    int secondNumber = 10;

    printf("Bitwise OR = %d",
           firstNumber | secondNumber);

    return 0;
}

Sample Output

Bitwise OR = 14

Explanation

Binary Representation:

12 = 1100
10 = 1010
------------
OR =1110 =14

The OR operator returns 1 if at least one bit is 1.

Concepts Covered

Bitwise OR
Binary Operations
Bit Manipulation

3. C Program to Perform Bitwise XOR Operation

Problem Statement

Write a C program to perform the Bitwise XOR operation.

C Solution

#include <stdio.h>

int main()
{
    int firstNumber = 12;
    int secondNumber = 10;

    printf("Bitwise XOR = %d",
           firstNumber ^ secondNumber);

    return 0;
}

Sample Output

Bitwise XOR = 6

Explanation

Binary Representation:

12 =1100
10 =1010
-----------
XOR=0110 =6

The XOR operator returns 1 only when the corresponding bits are different.

Concepts Covered

Bitwise XOR
Binary Numbers
Bit Manipulation

4. C Program to Perform Bitwise NOT Operation

Problem Statement

Write a C program to perform the Bitwise NOT operation on a number.

C Solution

#include <stdio.h>

int main()
{
    int number = 12;

    printf("Bitwise NOT = %d", ~number);

    return 0;
}

Sample Output

Bitwise NOT = -13

Explanation

The Bitwise NOT (~) operator flips every bit of the number.

Binary Representation:

12  = 00001100
~12 = 11110011

Since C uses 2’s Complement representation for signed integers, the result becomes -13.

Concepts Covered

Bitwise NOT
One’s Complement
Two’s Complement
Binary Numbers

5. C Program to Perform Left Shift Operation

Problem Statement

Write a C program to perform the Left Shift (<<) operation.

C Solution

#include <stdio.h>

int main()
{
    int number = 5;

    printf("Left Shift by 1 = %d", number << 1);

    return 0;
}

Sample Output

Left Shift by 1 = 10

Explanation

Binary Representation:

5 = 00000101

5 &lt;&lt; 1

= 00001010

= 10

Each left shift multiplies the number by 2.

Expression	Result
`5 << 1`	10
`5 << 2`	20
`5 << 3`	40

Concepts Covered

Left Shift
Bit Manipulation
Binary Numbers
Multiplication Using Bits

6. C Program to Perform Right Shift Operation

Problem Statement

Write a C program to perform the Right Shift (>>) operation.

C Solution

#include <stdio.h>

int main()
{
    int number = 20;

    printf("Right Shift by 2 = %d", number >> 2);

    return 0;
}

Sample Output

Right Shift by 2 = 5

Explanation

Binary Representation:

20 = 00010100

20 >> 2

= 00000101

= 5

Every right shift divides the number by 2 (for positive integers).

Expression	Result
`20 >> 1`	10
`20 >> 2`	5
`20 >> 3`	2

Concepts Covered

Right Shift
Binary Numbers
Division Using Bits
Bit Manipulation

7. C Program to Check Whether a Number is Even or Odd Using Bitwise AND

Problem Statement

Write a C program to determine whether a number is even or odd using the Bitwise AND operator.

C Solution

#include <stdio.h>

int main()
{
    int number = 27;

    if(number & 1)
    {
        printf("Odd Number");
    }
    else
    {
        printf("Even Number");
    }

    return 0;
}

Sample Output

Odd Number

Explanation

The least significant bit determines whether a number is even or odd.

Last bit = 1 → Odd Number
Last bit = 0 → Even Number

Example:

Since the result is 1, the number is odd.

Concepts Covered

Bitwise AND
Even/Odd Detection
Binary Numbers
Conditional Statements

8. C Program to Swap Two Numbers Using Bitwise XOR

Problem Statement

Write a C program to swap two numbers using the Bitwise XOR operator without using a third variable.

C Solution

#include <stdio.h>

int main()
{
    int firstNumber = 15;
    int secondNumber = 20;

    printf("Before Swap:\n");
    printf("%d %d\n", firstNumber, secondNumber);

    firstNumber = firstNumber ^ secondNumber;
    secondNumber = firstNumber ^ secondNumber;
    firstNumber = firstNumber ^ secondNumber;

    printf("After Swap:\n");
    printf("%d %d", firstNumber, secondNumber);

    return 0;
}

Sample Output

Before Swap:
15 20

After Swap:
20 15

Explanation

The XOR operator allows two numbers to be swapped without using an extra variable.

Concepts Covered

Bitwise XOR
Swapping
Bit Manipulation
Optimization

9. C Program to Check Whether the Nth Bit is Set or Not

Problem Statement

Write a C program to check whether the Nth bit of a number is set.

C Solution

#include <stdio.h>

int main()
{
    int number = 10;
    int position = 2;

    if(number & (1 << position))
    {
        printf("Bit is Set");
    }
    else
    {
        printf("Bit is Not Set");
    }

    return 0;
}

Sample Output

Bit is Not Set

Explanation

The expression:

1 &lt;&lt; position

creates a mask with only the specified bit set. Using Bitwise AND determines whether that bit is set in the original number.

Concepts Covered

Left Shift
Bit Masking
Bitwise AND
Bit Checking

10. C Program to Set the Nth Bit of a Number

Problem Statement

Write a C program to set the Nth bit of a number.

C Solution

#include <stdio.h>

int main()
{
    int number = 10;
    int position = 1;

    number = number | (1 << position);

    printf("Updated Number = %d", number);

    return 0;
}

Sample Output

Updated Number = 10

Note: In this example, the specified bit is already set, so the value remains unchanged.

Explanation

The Bitwise OR operator sets the required bit without affecting the remaining bits.

Example:

10 = 1010

Mask = 0010

1010
0010
----
1010

Concepts Covered

Bitwise OR
Bit Masking
Left Shift
Bit Manipulation

11. C Program to Clear the Nth Bit

Problem Statement

Write a C program to clear the Nth bit of a number.

C Solution

#include <stdio.h>

int main()
{
    int number = 15;
    int position = 2;

    number = number & ~(1 << position);

    printf("Updated Number = %d", number);

    return 0;
}

Sample Output

Updated Number = 11

Explanation

The expression:

~(1 &lt;&lt; position)

creates a mask with every bit set except the specified bit. Applying the Bitwise AND operator clears only that bit while leaving all other bits unchanged.

Binary Representation:

15 = 1111

Mask = 1011

1111
1011
----
1011 = 11

Concepts Covered

Bitwise AND
Bitwise NOT
Bit Masking
Bit Manipulation

12. C Program to Toggle the Nth Bit

Problem Statement

Write a C program to toggle (flip) the Nth bit of a number.

C Solution

#include <stdio.h>

int main()
{
    int number = 10;
    int position = 1;

    number = number ^ (1 << position);

    printf("Updated Number = %d", number);

    return 0;
}

Sample Output

Updated Number = 8

Explanation

The Bitwise XOR operator flips the specified bit.

If the bit is 1, it becomes 0.
If the bit is 0, it becomes 1.

Binary Representation:

10 = 1010

Mask = 0010

1010
0010
----
1000 = 8

Concepts Covered

Bitwise XOR
Toggle Bit
Bit Masking
Bit Manipulation

13. C Program to Count the Number of Set Bits

Problem Statement

Write a C program to count the number of set bits (1s) in a number.

C Solution

#include <stdio.h>

int main()
{
    int number = 13;
    int count = 0;

    while(number > 0)
    {
        if(number & 1)
        {
            count++;
        }

        number = number >> 1;
    }

    printf("Total Set Bits = %d", count);

    return 0;
}

Sample Output

Total Set Bits = 3

Explanation

Binary Representation:

13 = 1101

There are three 1s, so the output is 3.

Concepts Covered

Bitwise AND
Right Shift
Bit Counting
Loops

14. C Program to Check Whether a Number is a Power of Two

Problem Statement

Write a C program to determine whether a number is a power of two.

C Solution

#include <stdio.h>

int main()
{
    int number = 16;

    if(number > 0 && (number & (number - 1)) == 0)
    {
        printf("Power of Two");
    }
    else
    {
        printf("Not a Power of Two");
    }

    return 0;
}

Sample Output

Power of Two

Explanation

A power of two has exactly one set bit.

Examples:

For such numbers:

n &amp; (n - 1)

always evaluates to 0.

Concepts Covered

Bitwise AND
Power of Two
Binary Numbers
Optimization

15. C Program to Demonstrate All Bitwise Operators

Problem Statement

Write a C program demonstrating all six Bitwise Operators.

C Solution

#include <stdio.h>

int main()
{
    int firstNumber = 12;
    int secondNumber = 10;

    printf("AND  = %d\n", firstNumber & secondNumber);
    printf("OR   = %d\n", firstNumber | secondNumber);
    printf("XOR  = %d\n", firstNumber ^ secondNumber);
    printf("NOT  = %d\n", ~firstNumber);
    printf("LEFT = %d\n", firstNumber << 1);
    printf("RIGHT= %d\n", firstNumber >> 1);

    return 0;
}

Sample Output

AND  = 8
OR   = 14
XOR  = 6
NOT  = -13
LEFT = 24
RIGHT= 6

Explanation

This program demonstrates the behavior of all commonly used Bitwise Operators in C.

Concepts Covered

Bitwise AND
Bitwise OR
Bitwise XOR
Bitwise NOT
Left Shift
Right Shift

Chapter Summary

In this chapter, you learned how Bitwise Operators manipulate individual bits to perform efficient low-level operations. You practiced Bitwise AND, OR, XOR, NOT, Left Shift, Right Shift, checking even/odd numbers, swapping values without a temporary variable, setting, clearing, toggling bits, counting set bits, and determining whether a number is a power of two. These concepts are widely used in embedded systems, operating systems, networking, device drivers, graphics programming, and competitive programming.

Key Takeaways

Bitwise operators work directly on binary values.
& performs Bitwise AND.
| performs Bitwise OR.
^ performs Bitwise XOR.
~ performs Bitwise NOT.
<< shifts bits to the left (generally multiplies by 2).
>> shifts bits to the right (generally divides by 2).
Bit masking helps set, clear, toggle, and test individual bits.
Bitwise operations are extremely fast and memory-efficient.
These operators are heavily used in system-level programming.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

1. What are Bitwise Operators in C?

Bitwise operators manipulate the binary representation of integers by operating directly on individual bits.

2. Which Bitwise Operators are available in C?

C provides six primary bitwise operators:

& (AND)
| (OR)
^ (XOR)
~ (NOT)
<< (Left Shift)
>> (Right Shift)

3. What is Bit Masking?

Bit masking is the technique of using bitwise operations with masks to set, clear, toggle, or check specific bits in a number.

4. Why are Bitwise Operators faster than arithmetic operations?

They work directly on bits at the hardware level, often requiring fewer CPU instructions than equivalent arithmetic operations.

5. Where are Bitwise Operators used?

They are commonly used in embedded systems, operating systems, networking, graphics programming, cryptography, compression algorithms, and hardware control.

6. How can you check if a number is even using Bitwise Operators?

Use:

number & 1

If the result is 0, the number is even; otherwise, it is odd.

7. How do you determine whether a number is a power of two?

A positive number is a power of two if:

(number & (number - 1)) == 0

8. Why are Bitwise Operators frequently asked in interviews?

They test your understanding of binary representation, low-level programming, optimization techniques, bit manipulation, and algorithmic thinking, making them a common topic in technical interviews and competitive programming.

Written by Shubhranshu Shekhar, who has trained 20000+ students in coding.

Rishabh Kumar