Polymorphism

Polymorphism is one of the fundamental concepts in object-oriented programming (OOP) that allows objects of different classes to be treated as if they were objects of the same class. The term “polymorphism” is derived from Greek, meaning “many forms.”

In Java, polymorphism can be achieved through method overriding and method overloading. Method overriding is when a subclass provides its own implementation of a method that is already defined in its superclass, whereas method overloading is when multiple methods share the same name but have different parameters.

Polymorphism allows for code to be more flexible and reusable, as it enables objects to be treated as if they are interchangeable, which can simplify code maintenance and improve code readability. It is also one of the key principles behind the use of interfaces in Java, which allows for objects to be created and used without specifying their exact type.