Understanding Python Polymorphism

Polymorphism is a key concept in object-oriented programming that allows a single interface to be used for different types of objects. It enables the flexibility to define a common method across multiple classes.

To better illustrate this concept, let’s take the example of two classes: Dog and Cat.

class Dog:
    def eat():
        print('Eating dog food')

class Cat:
    def eat():
        print('Eating cat food')

In the above code snippet, both classes have a method called eat.

Now, let’s create objects of these classes and call the eat() method:

animal1 = Dog()
animal2 = Cat()

animal1.eat()
animal2.eat()

As you can see, even though we call the same method eat(), the output differs because each class has its own implementation. This demonstrates polymorphism in action.

By utilizing polymorphism, we have created a generalized interface. We no longer need to determine whether an animal is a Dog or a Cat in order to call the eat() method. Instead, we can simply invoke the method on the object itself.

In conclusion, polymorphism empowers us to handle different object types in a generic way, promoting code reusability and enhancing the overall flexibility of our programs.

tags: [“python”, “polymorphism”, “object-oriented programming”]