5 Best Ways to Convert Integers to Bits in Python

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💡 Problem Formulation: Converting an integer to its binary representation can be essential for computer science education, digital system design, cryptography, and debugging. In Python, this conversion involves representing an integer in a string format that consists only of 0s and 1s. For instance, converting the integer 10 to bits should produce the string '1010'.

Method 1: Using the Built-in bin() Function

Python’s built-in bin() function converts an integer to a binary string prefixed with “0b”. The resulting string can be sliced to remove the prefix for pure binary form. It’s a simple and direct way to show an integer as bits.

Here’s an example:

number = 10
binary_string = bin(number)[2:]
print(binary_string)

Output:

1010

This code snippet demonstrates how to use the bin() function. It first converts the integer 10 to a binary string, then slices off the initial “0b” prefix to display the pure binary form.

Method 2: Using String Formatting with format()

The string method format() allows for various formatting options, including binary format specified by “b”. This method does not prepend the “0b” prefix, giving a clear binary representation directly.

Here’s an example:

number = 10
binary_string = '{0:b}'.format(number)
print(binary_string)

Output:

1010

This snippet leverages string formatting using the format() method with the ‘b’ format specifier to convert an integer to its binary representation without any prefix.

Method 3: Using f-Strings (Python 3.6+)

Introduced in Python 3.6, f-strings offer a convenient and readable way to embed expressions inside string literals. For binary conversion, the expression can include the binary formatter “b”, similar to format().

Here’s an example:

number = 10
binary_string = f'{number:b}'
print(binary_string)

Output:

1010

Using f-strings, this example compactly embeds the binary format expression directly within the string, producing the binary representation of the given integer.

Method 4: Using Bitwise Operations

Bitwise operations allow you to work directly with the bits of an integer. By shifting and masking, you can construct the binary representation manually. This method offers more control over the process.

Here’s an example:

number = 10
bits = []
while number:
    bits.append(str(number & 1))
    number >>= 1
binary_string = ''.join(reversed(bits))
print(binary_string)

Output:

1010

This example uses bitwise AND and shift-right operations to extract each bit of the integer and append it to a list. The list is then reversed and joined to form the binary string.

Bonus One-Liner Method 5: Using List Comprehension and join()

This one-liner combines a list comprehension with bitwise operations to create a minimalistic yet effective way to convert an integer to its binary representation.

Here’s an example:

number = 10
binary_string = ''.join(str((number >> i) & 1) for i in range(number.bit_length())[::-1])
print(binary_string)

Output:

1010

The code in this one-liner comprehends over the bit position, performs bitwise operations accordingly, and then joins the resulting bits into a binary string, making it a compact alternative.

Summary/Discussion

  • Method 1: Built-in bin() function. Simple and straightforward. Requires slicing to remove prefix.
  • Method 2: String Formatting with format(). No slicing required. Less known than bin().
  • Method 3: f-Strings for Python 3.6+. Modern, concise syntax. Not backward-compatible with older Python versions.
  • Method 4: Using Bitwise Operations. Offers full control over the conversion process. More verbose and complex.
  • Method 5: One-Liner with List Comprehension and join(). Elegant and Pythonic. Might be less readable for beginners.