NOTES.md

Polymorphism

• The word Polymorphism is a combination of two words Poly and morphism.
• Poly means many
• morphism means forms

Definition:

"The ability of an object, function, or operator to take many forms and behave differently based on the context."
In other words:"Polymorphism is the ability of objects of different types to respond to functions of same name."

• The user does not have to know the exact type of object in advance. The behaviour of the object can be implemented at the run time.Its is called late binding or dynamic binding.
• Polymorphism is implemented by using virtual functions.

Types:

1. Compile-time (Static Polymorphism):

   • Achieved by function overloading and operator overloading.
   • Example: Same function name but different parameter lists.
   • What is Compile-time?
     → Compile-time means the behavior of the program is decided before execution, i.e., during the compilation phase.
     → Errors are also caught before the program runs.

2. Run-time (Dynamic Polymorphism):

   • Achieved using virtual functions and function overriding in inheritance.
   • Example: A speak() function behaves differently for Dog and Cat classes.
   • What is Run-time?
     → Run-time means the behavior of the program is decided while the program is running (executing).
     → Allows more flexibility but errors may only appear when the program executes.

Notes:

• Makes programs more flexible and extensible.
• Supports real-world modeling (same action performed differently depending on the object).