In object-oriented programming, inheritance is a mechanism that allows a class (subclass or derived class) to inherit properties and behaviors from another class (superclass or base class). There are several types of inheritance:
- Single Inheritance: A subclass inherits from only one superclass.
- Multilevel Inheritance: A subclass inherits from another subclass, forming a hierarchy.
- Hierarchical Inheritance: Multiple subclasses inherit from the same superclass.
- Multiple Inheritance: A subclass inherits from multiple superclasses. Note that while some programming languages support multiple inheritance, others, like Java, do not allow it directly due to potential ambiguities.
- Hybrid Inheritance: A combination of two or more types of inheritance.
Polymorphism, on the other hand, is the ability of objects of different classes to be treated as objects of a common superclass. There are two main types of polymorphism:
Compile-time (Static) Polymorphism: Also known as method overloading and operator overloading, it occurs when different functions have the same name but different parameter lists or when operators are overloaded with multiple functionalities.
Run-time (Dynamic) Polymorphism: This is achieved through method overriding, where a subclass provides a specific implementation of a method that is already provided by its superclass. This allows a subclass to provide its own implementation of a method that is already defined in its superclass. Run-time polymorphism is achieved using inheritance and virtual functions/methods.
In summary, inheritance allows classes to inherit properties and behaviors from other classes, while polymorphism allows objects of different classes to be treated as objects of a common superclass, providing flexibility and reusability in object-oriented programming.
Disclaimer: This article was created with the help of AI.
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