odd question

[Karl Pech]

Hi,

I'm currently working on the following exercise:
---
You have given the following function:
def f2(i, j, k):
  return ((i | j) & k) | (i & j)

Find a useful utilization for this function.
---

Actually I couldn't figure out so far, what exactly is
a "useful utilization". Can anybody of you help me?

Thanks!

Regards
Karl

[P.S. I have even written a small program, which should
show me, what this formula does with numbers, but I couldn't
find anything "interesting" or regular in the output-file.
This is the source of the program:
---
import string

def testit(i, j, k):
  return ((i | j) & k) | (i & j)

q = []
results = [[], [], [], [], [], [], [], [], [], []]

fout = open("out.txt", "w")

for x in range(10):
  for y in range(10):
    for z in range(10):
      a = [x, y, z]
      a.sort()
      if a in q:
        continue
      else:
        results[testit(x, y, z)].append([x, y, z])
        q.append(a)


for x in range(len(results)):
  for y in range(len(results[x])):
    fout.write(string.strip(str(results[x][y]), "[]")+" : "+str(x)+'\n')
---

I guess I just have to construct some kind of situation there this
function could be useful but I don't have any ideas. :(