What are some real-world applications of polymorphism in programming?

What are some real-world applications of polymorphism in programming?

Polymorphism allows methods to do different things based on the object it is acting upon. For example, in a graphics program, a single function can handle different shapes like circles and squares, each with its own implementation.

Can you give me a specific example in a programming language?

Sure! In Java, you can have a base class called 'Animal' with a method 'makeSound()'. Subclasses like 'Dog' and 'Cat' can override this method to provide their specific sounds. When you call 'makeSound()' on an 'Animal' reference, it will execute the appropriate subclass method.

How does this improve code maintainability?

It improves maintainability by allowing you to add new subclasses without changing existing code. You can introduce new animal types with their own sounds without modifying the 'Animal' class or the code that uses it.

Are there any drawbacks to using polymorphism?

Yes, one drawback is that it can lead to more complex code if overused. It may also introduce performance overhead due to dynamic method resolution.