What is the difference between public and protected access modifiers?

Can you explain the difference between public and protected access modifiers?

Sure! Public access modifiers allow members to be accessible from any other class, while protected members can only be accessed within the same class and by derived classes.

Can you give me an example of each?

Of course! In a class, if you declare a variable as public, like public int number;, it can be accessed from anywhere. If it's protected, like protected int number;, it can only be accessed in the class itself and by subclasses.

Why would I use protected instead of public?

Using protected helps to encapsulate your class's data and restricts access to only those classes that need it, promoting better security and design.

Are there any other access modifiers I should know about?

Yes, there's also private, which restricts access to the class itself only, and internal, which allows access within the same assembly.