Inheritance and polymorphism are two important concepts in object-oriented programming (OOP) that serve different purposes and operate at different levels.
Inheritance:
- Inheritance is a concept in OOP that allows a new class (derived class or subclass) to inherit properties and methods from an existing class (base class or superclass).
- It promotes code reusability and supports hierarchical relationships between classes.
- Inheritance can be single, hybrid, multiple, hierarchical, and multilevel inheritance.
- It is mainly applied to classes.
Polymorphism:
- Polymorphism allows objects of different classes to be treated as objects of a common superclass, enabling dynamic method dispatch and flexibility in handling different object types.
- It enables a single interface to represent various data types and supports method overloading and overriding.
- Polymorphism can be achieved through method overloading (compile-time polymorphism) and method overriding (runtime polymorphism).
- It is mainly applied to functions or methods.
In summary, inheritance is a static concept that establishes relationships between classes and promotes code reusability, while polymorphism is a dynamic concept that allows for flexibility in handling different object types and enables a single interface to represent various data types. Both concepts are essential in OOP, and their significance depends on the specific requirements of the software design.
Comparative Table: Polymorphism vs Inheritance in OOP
Here is a table highlighting the differences between polymorphism and inheritance in object-oriented programming:
Inheritance | Polymorphism |
---|---|
Inheritance is a concept where a new class (derived class) is created that inherits features from an existing class (base class). | Polymorphism allows a task to be performed in multiple forms or ways, and it is applied to functions or methods. |
Inheritance is mainly applied to classes. | Polymorphism is applied to functions or methods. |
Inheritance supports the concept of code reusability and reduces the length of the code in object-oriented programming. | Polymorphism allows the object to decide which form of the function to implement at compile-time. |
Inheritance can be single, multi-level, multiple, hybrid, or hierarchical. | Polymorphism has two types: compile-time polymorphism (method overloading) and run-time polymorphism (method overriding). |
Read more
- Polymorphism vs Inheritance in OOP
- Polymorphism vs Inheritance
- Isomorphism vs Polymorphism
- Abstract Class vs Inheritance
- Mutation vs Polymorphism
- Polymorphism vs Amorphism
- Inheritance vs Interface in Java
- Inheritance vs Composition
- AOP vs OOP
- Object Oriented Programming vs Procedural Programming
- Objects vs Classes
- OOP vs POP
- Overriding vs Overloading
- Overloading vs Overriding in Java
- Multiple vs Multilevel Inheritance
- Polymorphism vs Allotropy
- Structured Programming vs Object Oriented Programming
- Class vs Interface
- Overriding vs Overloading in C#
- Superclass vs Subclass