I am very new to Java (and programming in general, my previous experience is with ActionScript 2.0 and some simple JavaScript), and I am working my way slowly and methodically through Java: A Beginner's Guide by Herbert Schildt. It is an incredible book.

For one thing, I finally understand more-or-less what bitwise operators (which I first encountered in ActionScript 2.0) do, and that they are more efficient than other methods for certain sums.

My question is, is it more efficient to use a method that uses, say, a shift right, to perform all your divisions/2 (or divisions/even) for you in a large program with many calculations (in this case, a sprawling RPG), or is it more efficient to simply use standard mathematical operations because the compiler will optimise it all for you?

Or, am I asking the wrong question entirely?