# Bitwise OR

Bitwise OR is a binary calculation where you take the value of two bits and if both are 0, the result is `0`. If either is `1`, the result is `1`.


For example, when calculating an IP broadcast address, the In other words, take the host's IP address, and set to '1' any bit positions which hold a '0' in the [subnet mask](/glossary/n/netmask).