Editing Bitwise operation (section)

{{Short description|Computer science topic}}
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In [[computer programming]], a '''bitwise operation''' operates on a [[bit string]], a [[bit array]] or a [[binary numeral]] (considered as a bit string) at the level of its individual [[bit]]s. It is a fast and simple action, basic to the higher-level arithmetic operations and directly supported by the [[central processing unit|processor]]. Most bitwise operations are presented as two-operand instructions where the result replaces one of the input operands.

On simple low-cost processors, typically, bitwise operations are substantially faster than division, several times faster than multiplication, and sometimes significantly faster than addition. While modern processors usually perform addition and multiplication just as fast as bitwise operations due to their longer [[instruction pipeline]]s and other [[computer architecture|architectural]] design choices, bitwise operations do commonly use less power because of the reduced use of resources.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://cmicrotek.com/wordpress_159256135/|title=CMicrotek Low-power Design Blog|access-date=12 August 2015|publisher=CMicrotek}}</ref>