What are binary shift operators used for in practice?

Question

I am not really used to low level programming. Mostly do functional things to solve complex system models for work.
I am trying to understand the use of bitwise operations, but fail to see for what you use binary shift operators (like << and >> in python or c++, for example).
I understand that they move the bits by the amount specified, but fail to see when this is useful.
Can someone explain when this is practically useful, and preferably give a short and simple example that helps understanding.
Thankyou.

Answer 1

I believe bitwise operators have many uses. However, I'm only aware of one major advantage and that is speed.

Let's say you're making a game with 32*32 tiles and a map 100*100. To draw the graphics, you'll probably have several loops nested in each other being updated many times per second. Now, instead of using *32, a bitshift of << 5 is faster and when you're performing so many calculations, it makes a big difference.

Why bitshifts are faster though, you'll have to learn about CPUs and Assembly.

Answer 2

Thankyou Joshua. That is a good example, and explanation.