Checking whether a number is positive or negative using bitwise operators

Question

I can check whether a number is odd/even using bitwise operators. Can I check whether a number is positive/zero/negative without using any conditional statements/operators l

Answer 1

#include

void main()
{
    int n;  // assuming int to be 32 bit long

    //shift it right 31 times so that MSB comes to LSB's position
    //and then and it with 0x1
    if ((n>>31) & 0x1 == 1) {
        printf("negative number\n");
    } else {
        printf("positive number\n");
    }

    getch();
}