Polymorphism Simplified: Easy-to-Follow Examples and Explanations
Unlocking the secrets of polymorphism and untangling its mysteries can be a daunting task for many programmers. The concepts of inheritance and polymorphism often blur together, creating a sense of confusion. But fear not! In this enlightening article, we embark on a journey to demystify polymorphism in the simplest way imaginable.
By the end of this enlightening journey, you’ll not only grasp the essence of polymorphism but also gain newfound confidence in leveraging its power to create elegant and flexible code.
This article is divided into three parts for your ease of understanding. In the first part, we will explore the concept of polymorphism, breaking it down into simple terms. Moving on to the second part, we will tackle the common confusion between inheritance and polymorphism, providing clear distinctions between the two. Finally, in the last part, we will delve into practical code examples that will solidify your understanding and reveal the true potential of polymorphism.
What is Polymorphism?
Polymorphism in object-oriented programming (OOP) can be understood as the ability of objects to take on different forms or behaviors.
It lets you treat objects from different classes as if they belong to the same parent (super) class.
Imagine you have a class called “Animal” and two subclasses called “Dog” and “Cat.” Both the dog and the cat inherit from the animal class. Now, let’s say you have a method called “makeSound()” in the animal class, and each subclass overrides this method to produce its specific sound.
With polymorphism, you can create a list of animals and add both dogs and cats to it. When you call the “makeSound()” method on each object in the list, it will produce the appropriate sound based on the specific object’s class. This is because even though the objects have different types (dog or cat), they are treated as animals, and the appropriate version of the method is called based on the object’s actual class.
In simple terms, polymorphism allows objects of different types but with a common superclass to be treated interchangeably, enabling flexible and dynamic behavior based on the actual object type at runtime.
Difference between inheritance and polymorphism
Polymorphism and inheritance are connected in object-oriented programming, but they have distinct roles.
Inheritance enables a class to inherit attributes and behaviors from another class. It establishes an “is-a” relationship, where a subclass inherits the characteristics of its superclass. The subclass can reuse the code and functionality of the superclass and add its own unique features or override existing behaviors.
On the other hand, polymorphism is a functionality that enables objects belonging to different classes to be treated and processed as objects of a common superclass. It enables you to write code that can work with objects of multiple types, as long as they share a common interface or superclass. Polymorphism provides flexibility by allowing objects of different types to be used interchangeably, which means you can write code that operates on a general class but can handle specific subclasses differently.
I get it, it can be confusing sometimes. So, let’s simplify things by writing some code examples for both concepts and discussing their differences.
Code Example
Let’s consider an example with a superclass called “Shape” and two subclasses called “Circle” and “Rectangle.”
I will use the Java programming language to explain the differences between polymorphism and inheritance because Java is designed specifically for working with objects and can help us understand these concepts more easily.
The following code will remain the same for both inheritance and polymorphism, so I will write it only once. However, the actual difference between the two concepts will become apparent in the implementation of the Main Class.
Inheritance Example
In this Java example, we directly instantiate objects of the Circle and Rectangle classes. We create a circle object and a rectangle object using their respective constructors. We then call the calculateArea() method and display() method on each object. This code example solely focuses on the concept of inheritance, where the Circle and Rectangle classes inherit the common properties and methods from the Shape superclass.
Let’s rewrite the code for the Main Class using polymorphism. This will allow you to clearly see the difference between polymorphism and inheritance in action.
Polymorphism Example
In this Java example, we create an array of Shape objects called shapes. We initialize the array with instances of Circle and Rectangle using polymorphism, where Circle and Rectangle are subclasses of the Shape class. We then loop through each shape in the shapes array using a for-each loop. Within the loop, we call the calculateArea() method and display() method on each shape object. Despite the different types of objects in the array, polymorphism allows us to treat them as objects of the common superclass (Shape) and invoke the appropriate methods based on their specific implementation.
In conclusion, understanding polymorphism and its distinction from inheritance is crucial for mastering object-oriented programming concepts. By grasping the essence of polymorphism, you unlock the power to write flexible and reusable code that can adapt to different scenarios.
If you’re curious about real-world applications of polymorphism in software development, don’t miss my latest article: “Unlocking the Power of Polymorphism: Exploring 5 Practical Use-Cases for Code Reusability and Flexibility.” Discover how polymorphism can enhance code reusability and flexibility in various scenarios. Read the article to uncover the potential of polymorphism in software implementation and gain valuable insights for your own projects.
