What is polymorphism in programming?

What is polymorphism in programming?

Polymorphism is a core concept in programming that allows objects to be treated as instances of their parent class. It enables methods to do different things based on the object it is acting upon.

Can you give me an example of polymorphism?

Sure! In object-oriented programming, if you have a base class called 'Animal' with a method 'speak()', subclasses like 'Dog' and 'Cat' can implement 'speak()' differently. A dog might bark, while a cat might meow.

How does polymorphism improve code flexibility?

Polymorphism allows for code that can work with objects of different classes through a common interface. This means you can write more generic and reusable code, making it easier to extend and maintain.

What are the types of polymorphism?

There are two main types of polymorphism: compile-time (or static) polymorphism, which is achieved through method overloading, and runtime (or dynamic) polymorphism, which is achieved through method overriding.

Is polymorphism used in all programming languages?

Not all programming languages support polymorphism in the same way. Object-oriented languages like Java, C++, and Python utilize it extensively, while procedural languages may not have built-in support for it.