What are inheritance and polymorphism in C++?

What are inheritance and polymorphism in C++?

Inheritance is a mechanism where a new class derives properties and behavior from an existing class. Polymorphism allows methods to do different things based on the object it is acting upon.

Can you give me an example of inheritance in C++?

Sure! Here's a simple example:

class Animal {
public:
    void speak() { std::cout << "Animal speaks"; }
};

class Dog : public Animal {
public:
    void speak() { std::cout << "Dog barks"; }
};

In this example, Dog inherits from Animal.

What about polymorphism? How does it work in this context?

Polymorphism allows you to call derived class methods through base class pointers. For example:

Animal* myDog = new Dog();
myDog->speak(); // Outputs: Dog barks

Here, myDog is of type Animal, but it calls the speak method of Dog.

Are there different types of polymorphism in C++?

Yes, there are two main types: compile-time polymorphism (method overloading and operator overloading) and runtime polymorphism (using virtual functions).