BITLSHIFT Function

Today we’re going to be talking about the BITLSHIFT formula in Google Sheets. This is a powerful and versatile formula that allows you to perform bitwise operations on binary numbers in your spreadsheet.

If you’re not familiar with binary numbers, don’t worry! We’ll explain everything in simple terms and show you how to use the BITLSHIFT formula to perform a variety of operations. By the end of this post, you’ll have a good understanding of how this formula works and how it can be used to solve some common problems in spreadsheet data analysis. So let’s get started!

Definition of BITLSHIFT Function

The BITLSHIFT function in Google Sheets is a bitwise operation that allows you to perform logical operations on binary numbers in your spreadsheet. This function takes two arguments: a binary number and a shift value. The binary number is the number that you want to perform the operation on, and the shift value is the number of bits that you want to shift the binary number by. The BITLSHIFT function can be used to perform a variety of operations, including shifting the bits of a binary number to the left or right, and performing logical AND, OR, and XOR operations on binary numbers. This function is useful for working with binary data in your spreadsheet and can be used to perform a variety of calculations and data analysis tasks.

Syntax of BITLSHIFT Function

The syntax of the BITLSHIFT function in Google Sheets is as follows:

=BITLSHIFT(binary_number, shift_value, [bitwise_operator])

• binary_number is the binary number that you want to perform the bitwise operation on. This argument can be a number or a cell reference that contains a binary number.
• shift_value is the number of bits that you want to shift the binary number by. This argument can be a positive or negative number, depending on the direction you want to shift the bits.
• bitwise_operator is an optional argument that specifies the bitwise operator to use. This argument can be one of the following values: AND, OR, XOR, LSHIFT, or RSHIFT. If this argument is not provided, the default value is LSHIFT.

For example, the following formula performs a left shift on the binary number 1010 by two bits:

=BITLSHIFT(1010, 2)

The result of this operation is 101000.

Examples of BITLSHIFT Function

Here are three examples of how you can use the BITLSHIFT function in Google Sheets:

1. Shifting bits to the left
   To shift the bits of a binary number to the left, you can use the BITLSHIFT function with the LSHIFT bitwise operator. For example, the following formula shifts the bits of the binary number 1010 to the left by two bits:

   =BITLSHIFT(1010, 2, "LSHIFT")

   The result of this operation is 101000.

2. Shifting bits to the right
   To shift the bits of a binary number to the right, you can use the BITLSHIFT function with the RSHIFT bitwise operator. For example, the following formula shifts the bits of the binary number 1010 to the right by two bits:

   =BITLSHIFT(1010, 2, "RSHIFT")

   The result of this operation is 10.

3. Performing logical AND, OR, and XOR operations
   The BITLSHIFT function can also be used to perform logical AND, OR, and XOR operations on binary numbers. For example, the following formula performs a logical AND operation on the binary numbers 1010 and 1100:

   =BITLSHIFT(1010, 1100, "AND")

   The result of this operation is 1000.
   Similarly, the following formula performs a logical OR operation on the binary numbers 1010 and 1100:

   =BITLSHIFT(1010, 1100, "OR")

   The result of this operation is 1110.
   And the following formula performs a logical XOR operation on the binary numbers 1010 and 1100:

   =BITLSHIFT(1010, 1100, "XOR")

   The result of this operation is 0110.

Use Case of BITLSHIFT Function

Here are some real-life examples of using the BITLSHIFT function in Google Sheets:

1. Comparing two binary numbers
   One common use of the BITLSHIFT function is to compare two binary numbers. For example, if you have a spreadsheet with a column of binary numbers and you want to see which numbers are equal to a specific binary number, you can use the BITLSHIFT function to perform a logical AND operation on the two numbers. If the result of the operation is the same as the original binary number, then the two numbers are equal.
2. Converting binary numbers to decimal numbers
   Another common use of the BITLSHIFT function is to convert binary numbers to decimal numbers. To do this, you can use the BITLSHIFT function to perform a left shift operation on each bit of the binary number, starting with the least significant bit. Then, you can add up the shifted values to get the decimal equivalent of the binary number.
3. Encoding and decoding data
   The BITLSHIFT function can also be used for encoding and decoding data in a spreadsheet. For example, you can use the BITLSHIFT function to encode a string of text as a series of binary numbers, and then use the same function to decode the binary numbers back into the original text. This can be useful for storing and transmitting data in a compact and efficient way.

Limitations of BITLSHIFT Function

The BITLSHIFT function in Google Sheets has a few limitations that you should be aware of:

1. It only works with binary numbers
   The BITLSHIFT function only works with binary numbers, which are numbers represented using only the digits 0 and 1. This means that you cannot use this function with decimal or hexadecimal numbers.
2. It has a limited range of values
   The BITLSHIFT function can only be used with binary numbers that are up to 63 bits long. This means that you cannot use this function with very large binary numbers.
3. It only performs bitwise operations
   The BITLSHIFT function only performs bitwise operations, which are operations that operate on individual bits of a binary number. This means that you cannot use this function for more complex mathematical operations, such as addition or multiplication.
4. It does not support cell references
   The BITLSHIFT function does not support cell references, which means that you cannot use it to perform operations on binary numbers that are stored in cells in your spreadsheet. You must enter the binary numbers directly into the formula.
5. It does not support mixed data types
   The BITLSHIFT function does not support mixed data types, which means that you cannot use it to perform operations on binary numbers that are combined with other data types, such as text or dates. The binary numbers must be entered as pure binary values.

Commonly Used Functions Along With BITLSHIFT

Some commonly used functions that are often used along with the BITLSHIFT function in Google Sheets include:

1. BIN2DEC – This function converts a binary number to a decimal number.
2. DEC2BIN – This function converts a decimal number to a binary number.
3. HEX2BIN – This function converts a hexadecimal number to a binary number.
4. BIN2HEX – This function converts a binary number to a hexadecimal number.
5. BITAND – This function performs a logical AND operation on two numbers.
6. BITOR – This function performs a logical OR operation on two numbers.
7. BITXOR – This function performs a logical XOR operation on two numbers.
8. BITNOT – This function performs a logical NOT operation on a number.

These functions can be used in combination with the BITLSHIFT function to perform a variety of operations on binary numbers in your spreadsheet. For example, you can use the BIN2DEC function to convert a binary number to a decimal number, and then use the BITLSHIFT function to perform a bitwise operation on the decimal number. Or, you can use the BITAND function to perform a logical AND operation on two binary numbers, and then use the BIN2HEX function to convert the result to a hexadecimal number.

Summary

In summary, the BITLSHIFT function in Google Sheets is a powerful and versatile formula that allows you to perform bitwise operations on binary numbers in your spreadsheet. This function can be used to perform a variety of operations, including shifting bits to the left or right, and performing logical AND, OR, and XOR operations on binary numbers. The BITLSHIFT function is useful for working with binary data in your spreadsheet and can be used to perform a variety of calculations and data analysis tasks.

We encourage you to try using the BITLSHIFT function in your own Google Sheets to see how it can help you work with binary data. Whether you’re a beginner or an experienced spreadsheet user, the BITLSHIFT function is a valuable tool that can help you perform a wide range of operations on binary numbers. Give it a try and see what you can accomplish!