Check if Number is Even or Odd Using Bits in DSA Go - Cheat Sheet & Quick Revision

Recall & Review

beginner

What bit operation can be used to check if a number is even or odd?

The bitwise AND operation with 1 (& 1) can be used. If (number & 1) is 0, the number is even; if it is 1, the number is odd.

beginner

Why does checking the least significant bit (LSB) tell us if a number is even or odd?

Because in binary, even numbers always end with 0 and odd numbers end with 1 in their least significant bit.

beginner

Show the Go code snippet to check if a number is odd using bits.

if num&1 == 1 { fmt.Println("Odd") } else { fmt.Println("Even") }

beginner

What is the output of checking number 10 using bitwise AND with 1?

10 in binary is 1010. 1010 & 0001 = 0, so 10 is even.

intermediate

Is using bitwise operation to check even or odd faster than using modulo (%) operator?

Yes, bitwise operations are generally faster because they work directly on bits without division.

Which bitwise operation helps to check if a number is odd or even?

A AND with 1

B OR with 1

C XOR with 1

D NOT operation

AND with 1 isolates the least significant bit, which determines even or odd.

What does the expression (num & 1) == 0 mean?

A num is even

B num is negative

C num is odd

D num is zero

If the least significant bit is 0, the number is even.

What is the binary representation of the number 7?

A 101

B 111

C 110

D 100

7 in binary is 111.

If num = 14, what is the result of num & 1?

A 15

B 1

C 14

D 0

14 in binary ends with 0, so num & 1 = 0.

Why might bitwise operations be preferred over modulo for checking even/odd?

A Bitwise is slower

B Bitwise uses less memory

C Bitwise is faster and simpler

D Modulo is more accurate

Bitwise operations are faster because they directly manipulate bits without division.

Explain how to check if a number is even or odd using bitwise operations.

Think about the last bit in binary.

Write a simple Go function that prints whether a number is even or odd using bits.

Use num & 1 to decide.

Practice

1. What does the expression num & 1 check when determining if a number is even or odd?

easy

A. It checks the least significant bit to see if it is 1 (odd) or 0 (even).

B. It checks if the number is greater than 1.

C. It divides the number by 2.

D. It adds 1 to the number.

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand bitwise AND operation

   The expression num & 1 performs a bitwise AND between the number and 1, which isolates the least significant bit (rightmost bit).

2. Step 2: Interpret the least significant bit

   If the least significant bit is 1, the number is odd; if it is 0, the number is even.

3. Final Answer:

   It checks the least significant bit to see if it is 1 (odd) or 0 (even). -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   num & 1 = 1 means odd, 0 means even [OK]

Hint: Check last bit with & 1; 1 means odd, 0 means even [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Thinking & 1 divides the number
• Confusing bitwise AND with addition
• Assuming it checks if number > 1

2. Which of the following Go code snippets correctly checks if an integer n is odd using bitwise operations?

easy

A. if n & 0 == 1 { fmt.Println("Odd") }

B. if n | 1 == 1 { fmt.Println("Odd") }

C. if n ^ 1 == 1 { fmt.Println("Odd") }

D. if n & 1 == 1 { fmt.Println("Odd") }

Solution

1. Step 1: Analyze bitwise AND usage

   The correct way to check oddness is using bitwise AND with 1: n & 1. This isolates the least significant bit.

2. Step 2: Check condition correctness

   if n & 1 == 1 { fmt.Println("Odd") } uses n & 1 == 1, which is true if the number is odd. Other options use incorrect operators or values.

3. Final Answer:

   if n & 1 == 1 { fmt.Println("Odd") } -> Option D

4. Quick Check:

   Use & 1 == 1 to check odd [OK]

Hint: Use 'if n & 1 == 1' to check odd numbers in Go [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Using bitwise OR instead of AND
• Comparing with 0 instead of 1
• Using XOR which changes bits

3. What will be the output of the following Go code?

package main
import "fmt"
func main() {
    n := 14
    if n & 1 == 0 {
        fmt.Println("Even")
    } else {
        fmt.Println("Odd")
    }
}

medium

A. Even

B. Odd

C. 14

D. Compilation error

Solution

1. Step 1: Evaluate bitwise AND for n=14

   14 in binary is 1110. The least significant bit is 0. So, 14 & 1 = 0.

2. Step 2: Check the if condition

   Since 14 & 1 == 0, the condition is true, so it prints "Even".

3. Final Answer:

   Even -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   14 & 1 = 0 means Even [OK]

Hint: If n & 1 == 0, number is even [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Assuming 14 is odd
• Confusing bitwise AND with arithmetic AND
• Expecting output to be the number itself

4. Find the error in this Go code snippet that tries to print if a number is even or odd:

package main
import "fmt"
func main() {
    num := 7
    if num & 1 = 1 {
        fmt.Println("Odd")
    } else {
        fmt.Println("Even")
    }
}

medium

A. Using bitwise AND instead of OR

B. Using single '=' instead of '==' in if condition

C. Missing import statement

D. Variable 'num' not declared

Solution

1. Step 1: Identify the if condition syntax

   The condition uses single '=' which is assignment, not comparison. It should be '==' to compare values.

2. Step 2: Understand Go syntax rules

   Go requires '==' for equality checks. Using '=' in if condition causes a compilation error.

3. Final Answer:

   Using single '=' instead of '==' in if condition -> Option B

4. Quick Check:

   Use '==' for comparison, not '=' [OK]

Hint: Use '==' for comparison in if statements [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Using '=' instead of '==' in conditions
• Confusing bitwise AND with logical AND
• Forgetting to declare variables

5. You want to write a Go function IsEven that returns true if a number is even and false if odd, using bitwise operations. Which of the following implementations is correct?

hard

A. func IsEven(n int) bool { return n & 1 == 1 }

B. func IsEven(n int) bool { return n | 1 == 0 }

C. func IsEven(n int) bool { return n & 1 == 0 }

D. func IsEven(n int) bool { return (n >> 1) == 0 }

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand even number bit pattern

   Even numbers have least significant bit 0, so n & 1 equals 0 for even numbers.

2. Step 2: Verify the correct implementation

   func IsEven(n int) bool { return n & 1 == 0 } is correct because even numbers have LSB 0. The implementation returning n & 1 == 1 checks for odd. The bitwise OR and right shift implementations are incorrect for checking evenness.

3. Final Answer:

   func IsEven(n int) bool { return n & 1 == 0 } -> Option C

4. Quick Check:

   Return true if n & 1 == 0 for even [OK]

Hint: Return n & 1 == 0 to check even numbers [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Returning true for odd numbers instead of even
• Using right shift incorrectly
• Using bitwise OR instead of AND