Binary numbers in Python

Question

How can I add, subtract, and compare binary numbers in Python without converting to decimal?

Answer 1

Binary, decimal, hexadecimal... the base only matters when reading or outputting numbers, adding binary numbers is just the same as adding decimal number : it is just a matter of representation.

Answer 2

Below is a re-write of a previously posted function:

def addBinary(a, b): # Example: a = '11' + b =' 100' returns as '111'.    
    for ch in a: assert ch in {'0','1'}, 'bad digit: ' + ch    
    for ch in b: assert ch in {'0','1'}, 'bad digit: ' + ch    
    sumx = int(a, 2) + int(b, 2)    
    return bin(sumx)[2:]

Answer 3

'''
I expect the intent behind this assignment was to work in binary string format.
This is absolutely doable.
'''

def compare(bin1, bin2):
    return bin1.lstrip('0') == bin2.lstrip('0')

def add(bin1, bin2):
    result = ''
    blen = max((len(bin1), len(bin2))) + 1
    bin1, bin2 = bin1.zfill(blen), bin2.zfill(blen)
    carry_s = '0'
    for b1, b2 in list(zip(bin1, bin2))[::-1]:
        count = (carry_s, b1, b2).count('1')
        carry_s = '1' if count >= 2 else '0'
        result += '1' if count % 2 else '0'
    return result[::-1]

if __name__ == '__main__':
    print(add('101', '100'))

I leave the subtraction func as an exercise for the reader.