Real Python - Binary Bytes and Bitwise Operators in Python

Real Python – Binary Bytes and Bitwise Operators in Python

Computers store all kinds of information as a stream of binary digits called bits. Whether you’re working with text, images, or videos, they all boil down to ones and zeros. Python’s bitwise operators let you manipulate those individual bits of data at the most granular level.

Python isolates you from the underlying bits with high-level abstractions. You’re more likely to find the overloaded flavors of bitwise operators in practice. But when you work with them in their original form, you’ll be surprised by their quirks!

In this course, you’ll learn how to:

Read binary numbers
Perform bitwise math and read truth tables
Represent fixed and arbitrary precision itegers in Python
Perform bitwise operations in Python
Use bitmasks to pack information on a single byte
Differentiate Big-Endian and Little-Endian byte orders
Overload Python bitwise operators in custom data types

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