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.