Polymorphism

Polymorphism is a fundamental concept in computer science, especially in object-oriented programming. It refers to an object's ability to present itself in different forms or to behave differently in different contexts. The term "polymorphism" is derived from Greek and means "many forms."

There are two main types of polymorphism:

1. Compile-time Polymorphism (static binding): This is the polymorphism that is determined at the time of program compilation. A common example is method or function overloading in many programming languages. Overloading involves having multiple methods with the same name but different parameter lists. The correct method is chosen at compile time based on the parameter list.

2. Runtime Polymorphism (dynamic binding): This type of polymorphism is determined at runtime. It is closely associated with inheritance and interfaces. A common example is the use of polymorphism in object-oriented programming languages like Java or C++. When a base class defines a method, derived classes can override that method to provide their own behavior. When an object is accessed, the method is called at runtime based on the actual object's type.

The advantage of polymorphism is that it increases code flexibility and reusability. You can write code that can work with a variety of different objects as long as they adhere to the same interfaces or base classes. This makes it easier to create extensible software, as new classes can be added without modifying existing code, as long as they conform to the same interfaces.