Fundamentals

In the following sections we will explain the concept of bitwise operators, but first lay the necessary foundations. Our goal is to show what bitwise operators do and what they can be useful for. Afterwards, we also want to show the possibility and importance of unit tests. At the end of this chapter you should be able to answer the following questions:

• How are numbers represented in the computer?
• What is the difference in the representation between signed and unsigned numbers/integers?
• Which operations exist to compare the state of two bits?
• What are bitwise operators?
• What are unit tests? And why are they important?