Why Check if Number is Even or Odd Using Bits in DSA Typescript?

The Big Idea

Discover how a tiny bit can instantly tell you if a number is even or odd, saving you time and effort!

The Scenario

Imagine you want to quickly find out if a number is even or odd by looking at it or doing long division every time.

For example, checking if 123456789 is even or odd by dividing it by 2 manually is slow and tiring.

The Problem

Manually dividing numbers or using slow math operations takes time and can cause mistakes, especially with very large numbers.

It's like counting every single item in a huge pile instead of just checking a simple sign.

The Solution

Using bits, you can instantly check if a number is even or odd by looking at just one tiny part of it -- the last bit.

This is super fast and error-free because computers work with bits naturally.

Before vs After

✗ Before

function isEven(number: number): boolean {
  return number % 2 === 0;
}

✓ After

function isEven(number: number): boolean {
  return (number & 1) === 0;
}

What It Enables

This lets you quickly and efficiently decide even or odd status for any number, even huge ones, without slow math.

Real Life Example

When programming games or apps, you often need to check if a score or count is even or odd to decide what happens next -- using bits makes this check lightning fast.

Key Takeaways

Manual division to check even/odd is slow and error-prone.

Bitwise AND with 1 quickly reveals if a number is even or odd.

This method is fast, simple, and perfect for all number sizes.

Practice

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

easy

A. It checks if num is greater than 1.

B. It checks if the least significant bit of num is 1, indicating odd number.

C. It checks if num is divisible by 2 without remainder.

D. It checks if num is negative.

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand bitwise AND with 1

   The expression num & 1 isolates the least significant bit (rightmost bit) of the number.

2. Step 2: Interpret the least significant bit

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

3. Final Answer:

   It checks if the least significant bit of num is 1, indicating odd number. -> Option B

4. Quick Check:

   num & 1 = 1 means odd [OK]

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

Common Mistakes:

• Thinking & 1 checks divisibility by 2
• Confusing bitwise AND with logical AND
• Assuming it checks if number is negative

2. Which of the following TypeScript code snippets correctly checks if a number n is even using bitwise operators?

easy

A. if ((n & 1) === 0) { console.log('Even'); } else { console.log('Odd'); }

B. if ((n | 1) === 0) { console.log('Even'); } else { console.log('Odd'); }

C. if ((n & 0) === 1) { console.log('Even'); } else { console.log('Odd'); }

D. if ((n ^ 1) === 0) { console.log('Even'); } else { console.log('Odd'); }

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand bitwise AND with 1

   The expression n & 1 extracts the least significant bit of n.

2. Step 2: Check if least significant bit is zero

   If (n & 1) === 0, the number is even; otherwise, it is odd.

3. Final Answer:

   if ((n & 1) === 0) { console.log('Even'); } else { console.log('Odd'); } -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   Use n & 1 === 0 for even check [OK]

Hint: Use (n & 1) === 0 to check even numbers [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Using bitwise OR instead of AND
• Comparing with wrong values like 0 or 1 incorrectly
• Using XOR without understanding its effect

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

const numbers = [2, 3, 4, 5];
numbers.forEach(num => {
  if (num & 1) {
    console.log(num + ' is Odd');
  } else {
    console.log(num + ' is Even');
  }
});

medium

A. 2 is Odd
3 is Odd
4 is Odd
5 is Odd

B. 2 is Even
3 is Even
4 is Even
5 is Even

C. 2 is Odd
3 is Even
4 is Odd
5 is Even

D. 2 is Even
3 is Odd
4 is Even
5 is Odd

Solution

1. Step 1: Evaluate bitwise AND for each number

   For each number, num & 1 checks the last bit: 2 & 1 = 0 (even), 3 & 1 = 1 (odd), 4 & 1 = 0 (even), 5 & 1 = 1 (odd).

2. Step 2: Print corresponding output

   Numbers with num & 1 === 1 print 'Odd', others print 'Even'.

3. Final Answer:

   2 is Even 3 is Odd 4 is Even 5 is Odd -> Option D

4. Quick Check:

   Bitwise check matches even/odd output [OK]

Hint: Check each number's last bit; 1 means odd, 0 means even [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Assuming all numbers are odd
• Confusing bitwise AND with logical AND
• Printing wrong labels for even/odd

4. Identify the error in this TypeScript code that tries to check if a number x is odd using bits:

function isOdd(x: number): boolean {
  return x & 1 === 1;
}

medium

A. The bitwise AND operator has lower precedence than ===, causing wrong evaluation.

B. The function should use bitwise OR instead of AND.

C. The function should return a string, not boolean.

D. There is no error; the code works correctly.

Solution

1. Step 1: Check operator precedence in expression

   Bitwise AND (&) has lower precedence than strict equality (===), so x & 1 === 1 is evaluated as x & (1 === 1).

2. Step 2: Understand the evaluation result

   1 === 1 is true, which converts to 1, so expression becomes x & 1. This returns a number, not a boolean, causing unexpected behavior.

3. Step 3: Fix the expression with parentheses

   Use parentheses: (x & 1) === 1 to ensure correct evaluation order.

4. Final Answer:

   The bitwise AND operator has lower precedence than ===, causing wrong evaluation. -> Option A

5. Quick Check:

   Use parentheses: (x & 1) === 1 [OK]

Hint: Use parentheses around bitwise operation before comparison [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Ignoring operator precedence
• Using bitwise OR instead of AND
• Returning wrong data type

5. You want to filter an array of numbers to keep only the even ones using bitwise operations in TypeScript. Which code snippet correctly achieves this?

const nums = [10, 15, 22, 33, 40];
const evens = nums.filter( /* your code here */ );
console.log(evens);

hard

A. nums.filter(num => (num & 1) === 1)

B. nums.filter(num => (num | 1) === 0)

C. nums.filter(num => (num & 1) === 0)

D. nums.filter(num => (num ^ 1) === 0)

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand filtering condition for even numbers

   Even numbers have their least significant bit as 0, so (num & 1) === 0 checks for even numbers.

2. Step 2: Apply filter with correct condition

   Using nums.filter(num => (num & 1) === 0) returns only even numbers from the array.

3. Step 3: Verify output

   For [10, 15, 22, 33, 40], the filtered array is [10, 22, 40].

4. Final Answer:

   nums.filter(num => (num & 1) === 0) -> Option C

5. Quick Check:

   Filter even numbers with (num & 1) === 0 [OK]

Hint: Filter with (num & 1) === 0 to get even numbers [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Using bitwise OR or XOR incorrectly
• Filtering for odd numbers instead of even
• Missing parentheses causing wrong evaluation