Set Clear Toggle a Specific Bit in DSA Python - Build from Scratch

Set Clear Toggle a Specific Bit

📖 Scenario: Imagine you have a number that represents some settings in a device. Each bit in the number can be turned on, turned off, or flipped to change the device's behavior.

🎯 Goal: You will learn how to set (turn on), clear (turn off), and toggle (flip) a specific bit in a number using simple bit operations.

📋 What You'll Learn

Create a variable called number with the value 29

Create a variable called bit_position with the value 3

Write code to set the bit at bit_position in number and store it in set_bit

Write code to clear the bit at bit_position in number and store it in clear_bit

Write code to toggle the bit at bit_position in number and store it in toggle_bit

Print the values of set_bit, clear_bit, and toggle_bit

💡 Why This Matters

🌍 Real World

Bit manipulation is used in device control, graphics, network protocols, and compression where individual bits represent flags or options.

💼 Career

Understanding bit operations is important for roles in embedded systems, game development, and performance-critical software engineering.

1

Create the initial number and bit position

Create a variable called number and set it to 29. Create another variable called bit_position and set it to 3.

DSA Python

# Create the number and bit position
# Your code here

Hint

Use simple assignment to create number and bit_position.

2

Create a mask for the bit position

Create a variable called mask that has a 1 bit shifted left by bit_position. Use the left shift operator <<.

DSA Python

number = 29
bit_position = 3
# Create the mask for the bit position
# Your code here

Hint

Shift 1 left by bit_position to create the mask.

3

Set, clear, and toggle the bit

Create three variables: set_bit, clear_bit, and toggle_bit. Use the bitwise OR | to set the bit, bitwise AND with negated mask & ~mask to clear the bit, and bitwise XOR ^ to toggle the bit in number.

DSA Python

number = 29
bit_position = 3
mask = 1 << bit_position
# Set the bit
# Clear the bit
# Toggle the bit
# Your code here

Hint

Use | to set, & ~ to clear, and ^ to toggle the bit.

4

Print the results

Print the values of set_bit, clear_bit, and toggle_bit each on a separate line.

DSA Python

number = 29
bit_position = 3
mask = 1 << bit_position
set_bit = number | mask
clear_bit = number & ~mask
toggle_bit = number ^ mask
# Print the results
# Your code here

Hint

Use three print statements to show the results.