Mastering Abstraction and Inheritance in Python: A Practical Guide

A Beginner-Friendly Approach to Powerful Python Concepts

Max N
3 min readApr 2, 2024

Abstraction and inheritance are two powerful concepts in object-oriented programming (OOP) that allow you to write more efficient, maintainable, and scalable code. In Python, these concepts are implemented through classes, which serve as blueprints for creating objects.

In this article, we’ll explore abstraction and inheritance with practical examples and a beginner-friendly approach.

Abstraction: Hiding Complexity

Abstraction is the process of hiding implementation details and exposing only the necessary information to the user. It’s a way to manage complexity by separating the “what” from the “how.” In Python, you can achieve abstraction through classes and methods.

Consider a simple example of a car. You don’t need to know how the engine works to drive the car; you only need to know how to operate the steering wheel, pedals, and other controls. This is abstraction in action.

class Car:
def __init__(self, make, model):
self.make = make
self.model = model

def start(self):
print(f"Starting the {self.make} {self.model}.")

def stop(self)…

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Max N

A writer that writes about JavaScript and Python to beginners. If you find my articles helpful, feel free to follow.