What are the 4 basic concepts of object-oriented programming?
Object-oriented programming (OOP) is a fundamental programming paradigm that organizes software design around data, or objects, rather than functions and logic. Understanding the four basic concepts of OOP is crucial for building scalable, maintainable, and efficient software systems. These concepts provide a framework for designing robust applications and are commonly assessed during technical interviews.
Encapsulation
Encapsulation involves bundling the data (attributes) and the methods (functions) that operate on the data into a single unit, typically a class. It restricts direct access to some of an object's components, which helps protect the integrity of the data and prevents unintended interference.
Example
Consider a BankAccount class that encapsulates the account balance and provides methods to deposit and withdraw funds. Direct access to the balance is restricted, ensuring that all transactions go through the defined methods, maintaining data integrity.
Abstraction
Abstraction simplifies complex systems by modeling classes appropriate to the problem, and working at the most relevant level of inheritance for a particular aspect of the problem. It hides the complex implementation details and exposes only the necessary features of an object.
Example
A Vehicle class can provide an abstract method startEngine(). Different types of vehicles, such as Car or Motorcycle, can implement this method in ways specific to their engine types without exposing the intricate details of the engine's operation.
Inheritance
Inheritance allows a new class to inherit properties and behaviors from an existing class. This promotes code reusability and establishes a natural hierarchy between classes. The new class, known as a subclass, can extend or modify the features of the parent class.
Example
A Bird class can inherit from an Animal class, gaining attributes like age and weight, and behaviors like eat() and sleep(). The Bird class can then add specific attributes like wingSpan and behaviors like fly().
Polymorphism
Polymorphism enables objects of different classes to be treated as objects of a common superclass. It allows methods to perform different functions based on the object they are acting upon, enhancing flexibility and integration within the code.
Example
A function makeSound() can be defined in a superclass Animal. Subclasses like Dog and Cat can override this method to provide specific sounds like barking or meowing. When makeSound() is called on an Animal reference, the appropriate subclass method is executed.
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