Right Shifts
The result of a right shift of a negative-value signed integral type
Shifting a negative value to the right yields half the absolute value, rounded down. For example, a signed short value of -253 (hex 0xFF03, binary 11111111 00000011) shifted right one bit produces -127 (hex 0xFF81, binary 11111111 10000001). A positive 253 shifted right produces +126.
Right shifts preserve the sign bit of signed integral types. When a signed integer shifts right, the most-significant bit remains set. For example, if 0xF0000000 is a signed int, a right shift produces 0xF8000000. Shifting a negative int right 32 times produces 0xFFFFFFFF.
When an unsigned integer shifts right, the most-significant bit is cleared. For example, if 0xF000 is unsigned, the result is 0x7800. Shifting an unsigned or positive int right 32 times produces 0x00000000.
See also
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