java bitwise left shift : <p>I understand all of the bitwise operations (in Java specifically) except bitwise left shift.  I've combed the "stacks" and read many "explanations" on different pages, but I am still left unsatisfied.  Either this is an extremely complicated concept or it is not well understood and obscure.  But, I know it must be relevant to some extent because I have seen Java algorithms (today) that indeed use the left shift operator "&lt;&lt;".  So if someone could break this down in plain English that would be great!   </p>
