Can anyone explain why '>>2' shift means 'divided by 4' in C codes?
c, divide, shift
Solution
It didn't "pop-up" in a genius' head. Right shifting binary numbers would divide a number by 2 and left shifting the numbers would multiply it by 2. This is because `10` is 2 in binary. Multiplying a number by `10`(be it binary or decimal or hexadecimal) appends a `0` to the number(which is effectively left shifting). Similarly, dividing by `10`(or 2) removes a binary digit from the number(effectively right shifting). This is how the logic really works.
There are plenty of such `bit-twiddlery`(a word I invented a minute ago) in computer world.
http://graphics.stanford.edu/~seander/bithacks.html Here is for the starters.
This is my favorite book: http://www.amazon.com/Hackers-Delight-Edition-Henry-Warren/dp/0321842685/ref=dp_ob_image_bk on bit-twiddlery.
Problem
I know and understand the result. For example: ``` <br> 7 (decimal) = 00000111 (binary) <br> and 7 >> 2 = 00000001 (binary) <br> 00000001 (binary) is same as 7 / 4 = 1 <br> So 7 >> 2 = 7 / 4 <br> <br> ``` But I'd like to know how this logic was created. Can anyone elaborate on this logic? (Maybe it just popped up in a genius' head?) And are there any other similar logics like this ?