Some of you have heard my neighbor’s dog bark in a video or two that I recorded. While I was busy explaining how to do something awesome in Excel, this dog would decide to bark, adding her own two cents to the lesson. Quite a few of my VBA class students have grown used to it. So much that they complain when a lesson doesn’t have a couple of woofs. But I digress.
So coming back, one of the dogs (probably stray) has decided that she should bring her infant puppies and hide them under our terrace stair case. So, now we have 2 cute little puppies barking day long (and very late in to the night) just outside my office window. We have tried hard to get rid of them, but they somehow sneak back in and start barking or crying. So, I will be busy this weekend trying to move them out.
But that doesn’t mean, you have to live Excel-less for a few days. So I have a homework.
OR XOR AND, Get busy this weekend!
Don’t worry. I am not speaking elvish or something. OR, XOR & AND stand for bit-wise operations.
Binary?!? What binary?
As the saying goes, “There are 10 types of people in this world. Those who understand binary and those who don’t.”
If you understand the quotation, then you probably know what bit-wise operations are. If not, then I guess you were too busy during high-school math lessons.
We are pretty comfortable dealing with regular numbers, those that have base 10.
Binary numbers are in base 2. That means, everything is a zero or one. So 5 becomes 101 (that is 1x22+0x21+1x20 = 5)
So what are bit-wise operations?
Just as you have plus, minus, multiplication etc. there are few operations in binary world. See this illustration to understand what some of the basic bit-wise operations mean:
What is the homework then?
Very simple, assuming 2 cells A1 & A2 have binary numbers in them,
What formulas you would write to produce the AND, OR & XOR of the numbers?
Notes:
- How would you write formulas if your numbers are less than 512?
- How would you write if the numbers are less than 65536?
- What would you do if the numbers are very very large?

Go ahead and post your answers
This is no ordinary exercise. But probably it will be easier than getting unwanted puppies out of your house. So go ahead and give this a try. And post your answers using comments. I am waiting.
Some Tips
- Comment by Cameron & subsequent discussion on how to convert binary numbers to decimal
- Chandoo.org Forum question on ANDing Binary numbers
- 5 AND 3 is 1 by Daniel on Excel Hero
- Testing for Either-Or condition in Excel
- And oh yea, before I forget, never feed an unwanted puppy. If it becomes loyal to you, then are you in for trouble.
That is all. I wish you a pleasant weekend then. Mine is going to be noisy for sure.


















30 Responses to “Great News: Chandoo becomes MVP”
Congratulations! It's well deserved. 🙂
This is amazing. Hearty congratulations and a rocking new year ahead!!!
Congrats! I have learnt alot from your site... and the most important is learning how to achieve the most with the simplest concepts.
Thanks for the excel calendar. Is it possible to get a simple big fonted calendar printable on an A4 size paper without any distracive notes or visuals? BTW, I have already signed up for your newsletter. With warm regards and
Gratefully yours
50+ year old CHarish.
Hey Chandoo,
Great to hear that. Congratulations! The best new year gift, I would say. Keep it up, u've been doing extraordinary work for the excel users community.
Regards,
Pankaj Verma
Congrats dude... fantastic news!
congratulations! your site is great, this is well deserved
Rich
I recently found your site, I visit many. The tips that you provide are in the top 1% of all the sites I visit. Keep on Excelling.
Arnold
South Africa
Congratulations, Chandoo! That's a great way to start the year and make the PHD even better.
Congratulations, Chandoo.
Your site is one of most useful on the net. Happy new year and lot of ideas you will present for us.
Congrats.
Just read your name in an email from Abhishek. Well deserved.
Congratulations, and Happy New Year.
Greetings from Rio de Janeiro my friend! You trully deserve it!
Nive way to start 2009! Keep up the good work!
FC
That was quite forseeable , so you have now really got your PhD in excel.
Anyways Chandoo you have made excel a real Fun doo
I will like you to write some more on INDEX and MATCH function in near future.
@Hey Chandoo ! Congrates....
Ab to treat mangta hai !
Well deserved Chandoo!!
Congrat's!! Very well deserved 🙂
i always browsed mr.excel and used to see MVP writtne below names of people who used to solve queries in excel forum there......i just used to admire as to what they have special in them that they are MVP......
but now i got my answer...............u deserve it man..........
@All: thanks everyone 🙂
Congratulations Chandoo, nice job!
Chandoo,
A well deserved recognition and a good start to the New Year. Continue your good work.
Subbu
Many Congratulations.
You deserve a Ph.D. 🙂
congrats.....
Congrats dude. Rock on!
[...] charting community in 2007 and has been growing strongly ever since. In year 2009, I have received the MVP award from Microsoft. Just few days back I have become a dad [...]
Respected sir,
I am impressed!.... Good job done.. Keep it up...
Sir, How to be a MVP certified person. What level of knowledge is required for it? send me links if possible.
Please reply...
Regards,
Dipak Khalasi.
Dipak -
The first thing you need to cultivate is the ability to search the web effectively. You could start by Googling "Microsoft MVP".
[...] boy and girl which has been made hectic and incredibly fun ever since to their life.He has been awarded MVP status in 2009 by Microsoft(and renewed in 2010,2011 & 2012).His MVP profile is here.If you want to contact him direct then [...]
Congrats Chandoo!!
[…] Chandoo becomes MVP […]