Solution

The correct answer is Arithmetic Shift Right

Key Points

• Arithmetic Shift Right:
  • An arithmetic right shift operation moves bits one position to the right, similar to logical shift.
  • However, in this case, the leftmost bit (sign bit) stays the same to preserve the number's sign. T
  • his means a positive number remains positive, and a negative number remains negative, so an arithmetic right shift can correctly divide signed binary numbers by 2.

Additional Information

• Circular Shift:
  • In a circular shift operation, the bits are moved one position to the left or right in a way that the bit at one end does not get lost but instead moves to the other end.
  • If a bit is shifted out from the right end, it inserts at the left end, and vice versa. This maintains the number of bits in the data.
• Logical Shift:
  • Logical shifts are used for unsigned binary numbers. In a logical right shift, the bits are moved one position to the right, and a '0' is added at the left-most bit.
  • This is equivalent to division by 2 for unsigned binary numbers but doesn't work for signed numbers (where the left-most bit is a sign bit) because it changes the sign of the number.
• Arithmetic Shift Left:
  • In an arithmetic left shift, bits are moved one position to the left, and a '0' is added in the least significant bit (rightmost bit), doubling the number.
  • The sign bit (the leftmost bit) remains the same, so signed numbers stay positive or negative. This operation is similar to multiplying a signed binary number by 2.