The XOR swap algorithm uses three XOR (exclusive OR) operations to swap the values of two variables, a and b. Here’s the step-by-step process:

1. Initial Values:
   • Let a and b be the two variables you want to swap.
   • Example: a = 5 (binary 0101), b = 3 (binary 0011).
2. First XOR Operation:
   • a = a ^ b
   • This step stores the XOR of a and b in a.
   • Example: a = 5 ^ 3 results in a = 6 (binary 0110).
3. Second XOR Operation:
   • b = a ^ b
   • This step updates b to the original value of a.
   • Example: b = 6 ^ 3 results in b = 5 (binary 0101).
4. Third XOR Operation:
   • a = a ^ b
   • This step updates a to the original value of b.
   • Example: a = 6 ^ 5 results in a = 3 (binary 0011).

After these three operations, the values of a and b are swapped.

Code Example