Need help in adding binary numbers in python

Question

If I have 2 numbers in binary form as a string, and I want to add them I will do it digit by digit, from the right most end. So 001 + 010 = 011 But suppose I have to do 001+001, how should I create a code to figure out how to take carry over responses?

Answer 1

bin and int are very useful here:

a = '001'
b = '011'

c = bin(int(a,2) + int(b,2))
# 0b100

int allows you to specify what base the first argument is in when converting from a string (in this case two), and bin converts a number back to a binary string.

Answer 2

This accepts an arbitrary number or arguments:

>>> def bin_add(*bin_nums: str) -> str: 
...     return bin(sum(int(x, 2) for x in bin_nums))[2:]
...
>>> x = bin_add('1', '10', '100')
>>> x
'111'
>>> int(x, base = 2)
7

Answer 3

Here's an easy to understand version

def binAdd(s1, s2):
    if not s1 or not s2:
        return ''

    maxlen = max(len(s1), len(s2))

    s1 = s1.zfill(maxlen)
    s2 = s2.zfill(maxlen)

    result  = ''
    carry   = 0

    i = maxlen - 1
    while(i >= 0):
        s = int(s1[i]) + int(s2[i])
        if s == 2: #1+1
            if carry == 0:
                carry = 1
                result = "%s%s" % (result, '0')
            else:
                result = "%s%s" % (result, '1')
        elif s == 1: # 1+0
            if carry == 1:
                result = "%s%s" % (result, '0')
            else:
                result = "%s%s" % (result, '1')
        else: # 0+0
            if carry == 1:
                result = "%s%s" % (result, '1')
                carry = 0   
            else:
                result = "%s%s" % (result, '0') 

        i = i - 1;

    if carry>0:
        result = "%s%s" % (result, '1')
    return result[::-1]

Answer 4

Can be simple if you parse the strings by int (shown in the other answer). Here is a kindergarten-school-math way:

>>> def add(x,y):
        maxlen = max(len(x), len(y))

        #Normalize lengths
        x = x.zfill(maxlen)
        y = y.zfill(maxlen)

        result = ''
        carry = 0

        for i in range(maxlen-1, -1, -1):
            r = carry
            r += 1 if x[i] == '1' else 0
            r += 1 if y[i] == '1' else 0

            # r can be 0,1,2,3 (carry + x[i] + y[i])
            # and among these, for r==1 and r==3 you will have result bit = 1
            # for r==2 and r==3 you will have carry = 1

            result = ('1' if r % 2 == 1 else '0') + result
            carry = 0 if r < 2 else 1       

        if carry !=0 : result = '1' + result

        return result.zfill(maxlen)

>>> add('1','111')
'1000'
>>> add('111','111')
'1110'
>>> add('111','1000')
'1111'

Answer 5

you can use this function I did:

def addBinary(self, a, b):
    """
    :type a: str
    :type b: str
    :rtype: str
    """
    #a = int('10110', 2) #(0*2** 0)+(1*2**1)+(1*2**2)+(0*2**3)+(1*2**4) = 22
    #b = int('1011', 2) #(1*2** 0)+(1*2**1)+(0*2**2)+(1*2**3) = 11

    sum = int(a, 2) + int(b, 2)

    if sum == 0: return "0"

    out = []

    while sum > 0:
        res = int(sum) % 2
        out.insert(0, str(res))
        sum = sum/2


    return ''.join(out)

Answer 6

It works both ways

# as strings
a = "0b001"
b = "0b010"
c = bin(int(a, 2) + int(b, 2))

# as binary numbers
a = 0b001
b = 0b010
c = bin(a + b)

Answer 7

My simple implementation for adding 2 binary strings.
each operation contains an inline explanation.
firstly zero pad each of the strings to be in the same length, then reverse both of the strings so that the operations will start at the LSB (Least significant bit), then looping over both of the strings simultaneously using the zip method.
then simple math, calculating 3 int's values of '1' or '0' which sum-up to value from 0 to 3, then modifying the result string accordingly, if there is still non zero value for the carry at the end of the for loop, add it to the output string as well, then just reverse the output string and return it.

def add_binary(string_binary1, string_binary2):
    # if empty strings, return empty string
    if string_binary1 and string_binary2 is None:
        return ""
    result = ""
    carry = 0
    # get the length of the longest string
    max_len = max(len(string_binary1), len(string_binary2))
    # zero padding both of the strings, to get equal length, then reverse them both '011' --> '110'
    string_binary1 = string_binary1.zfill(max_len)[::-1]
    string_binary2 = string_binary2.zfill(max_len)[::-1]
    # loop over both of the strings simultaneously
    for digit1, digit2 in zip(string_binary1, string_binary2):
        temp = int(digit1) + int(digit2) + carry
        if temp > 1:
            result = "".join(result + str(temp-2))
            carry = 1
        else:
            result = "".join(result+str(temp))
            carry = 0
    # if carry is not zero at the end of the loop add it to the result string as well
    result = "".join(result+str(carry)) if carry != 0 else result
    # reverse and return the output binary string
    return result[::-1]

Answer 8

Not an optimal solution but a working one without use of any inbuilt functions.

    # two approaches

    # first - binary to decimal conversion, add and then decimal to binary conversion
    # second - binary addition normally


    # binary addition - optimal approach
    # rules
    # 1 + 0 = 1
    # 1 + 1 = 0 (carry - 1)
    # 1 + 1 + 1(carry) = 1 (carry -1)

    aa = a
    bb = b
    len_a = len(aa) 
    len_b = len(bb) 

    min_len = min(len_a, len_b) 
    carry = 0
    arr = []

    while min_len > 0:
        last_digit_aa = int(aa[len(aa)-1]) 
        last_digit_bb = int(bb[len(bb)-1]) 

        add_digits = last_digit_aa + last_digit_bb + carry
        carry = 0
        if add_digits == 2:
            add_digits = 0
            carry = 1
        if add_digits == 3:
            add_digits = 1
            carry = 1

        arr.append(add_digits) # will rev this at the very end for output
        aa = aa[:-1]
        bb = bb[:-1]
        min_len -= 1

    a_len_after = len(aa)
    b_len_after = len(bb)

    if a_len_after > 0:
        while a_len_after > 0:
            while carry == 1:
                if len(aa) > 0:
                    sum_digit = int(aa[len(aa) - 1]) + carry
                    if sum_digit == 2:
                        sum_digit = 0
                        carry = 1
                        arr.append(sum_digit)
                        aa = aa[:-1]
                    else:
                        carry = 0
                        arr.append(sum_digit)
                        aa = aa[:-1]
                else:
                    arr.append(carry)
                    carry = 0

            if carry == 0 and len(aa) > 0:
                arr.append(aa[len(aa) - 1])
                aa = aa[:-1]
            a_len_after -= 1

    if b_len_after > 0:
        while b_len_after > 0:
            while carry == 1:
                if len(bb) > 0:
                    sum_digit = int(bb[len(bb) - 1]) + carry
                    if sum_digit == 2:
                        sum_digit = 0
                        carry = 1
                        arr.append(sum_digit)
                        bb = bb[:-1]
                    else:
                        carry = 0
                        arr.append(sum_digit)
                        bb = bb[:-1]
                else:
                    arr.append(carry)
                    carry = 0

            if carry == 0 and len(bb) > 0:
                arr.append(bb[len(bb) - 1])
                bb = bb[:-1]
            b_len_after -= 1

    if carry == 1:
        arr.append(carry)

    out_arr = reversed(arr)
    out_str = "".join(str(x) for x in out_arr)
    return out_str