In which way do the >> and >>> operators differ?

• A. The >> operator fills empty bits with zeros
• B. Both operators behave identically with negative numbers
• C. The >>> operator maintains the sign bit when shifting
• D. The >> operator carries the sign bit, while >>> zero-fills

Answer: (D)

The statement that the >> operator carries the sign bit while the >>> operator zero-fills is fundamentally correct.

The >> operator, known as the signed right shift operator, maintains the sign of the number when shifting bits to the right. This means that if the number is negative (i.e., its sign bit is 1), the empty bit positions to the left are filled with 1s (the sign bit), effectively preserving the sign of the number.

On the other hand, the >>> operator is known as the unsigned right shift operator. This operator does not consider the sign bit of the number being shifted. Instead, it always fills the empty bit positions with 0s, regardless of whether the original number was positive or negative. This is particularly important when dealing with negative integers since the >>> operator can yield a larger positive number as a result of the shift.

This differentiation is crucial when performing bit manipulation and can have significant consequences in calculations and logic that rely on the interpretation of sign bits in binary representation.