What are some examples of dynamic binding in programming?

What are some examples of dynamic binding in programming?

Dynamic binding, also known as late binding, occurs when the method to be invoked is determined at runtime. For example, in object-oriented programming, if you have a base class and derived classes, the method that gets called is based on the object's actual type, not the reference type.

Can you give me a specific example in Java?

Sure! In Java, if you have a base class Animal with a method makeSound(), and subclasses Dog and Cat that override this method, when you call makeSound() on an Animal reference that points to a Dog object, the Dog's version of makeSound() will be executed.

What about in Python?

In Python, dynamic binding is inherent due to its dynamic typing. For instance, if you have a base class Shape with a method area(), and subclasses Circle and Square, calling area() on a Shape reference that points to a Circle instance will invoke the Circle's area() method.

Are there any performance implications of using dynamic binding?

Yes, dynamic binding can introduce a slight performance overhead because the method resolution happens at runtime. However, the impact is often negligible compared to the benefits of flexibility and maintainability in your code.