What is the difference between public, private, and protected in Java?

Can you explain the difference between public, private, and protected in Java?

Sure! In Java, 'public' means the member is accessible from any other class, 'private' restricts access to the same class, and 'protected' allows access to subclasses and classes in the same package.

Can you give me an example of each?

Of course! For 'public', you might have a method like 'public void display()'. For 'private', it could be 'private int age;'. And for 'protected', you might see 'protected void show()'.

Why would I use protected instead of public?

Using 'protected' allows you to restrict access to subclasses, which can help maintain encapsulation while still allowing inheritance.

What happens if I don't specify any access modifier?

If no access modifier is specified, it defaults to 'package-private', meaning the member is accessible only within its own package.