what does the "~" operator do in java as in: byte b =~5 + 1

Question

What does the "~" operator do in java as in: byte b =~5 + 1 ?

When the result is sent to standard out System.out.print(b) it prints '-5' but I don't know why or what it represents.

If only there were a [list of Java operators](http://docs.oracle.com/javase/tutorial/java/nutsandbolts/opsummary.html) somewhere. ;) — Andrzej Doyle, Jun 06 '13 at 15:32

score 6 · Answer 1 · answered Jun 06 '13 at 15:29

6

It's the bitwise complement operator. Since java uses two's complement to represent negative numbers, ~x + 1 is equivalent to -x.

answered Jun 06 '13 at 15:29

Carl Norum

2

No, I don't mean `-x - 1`. Where did that come from? – Carl Norum Jun 06 '13 at 15:32
oh my bad I didn't see you wrote ~x + 1 – aaronman Jun 06 '13 at 15:35
Thanks for your help. But why does ~5 + 1 = -5 and not -4? – IAMLOOKER50 Jun 06 '13 at 15:51
read up on 2's complement and you will understand – aaronman Jun 06 '13 at 15:53

1 Answers1