Mastering Polymorphism: The Versatile Superpower in Python OOP

Unlock the flexibility to write cleaner, more extensible code

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Polymorphism is one of the core principles of object-oriented programming (OOP) that allows objects of different classes to be treated as objects of a common superclass. In simpler terms, it means that different objects can respond differently to the same method call.

This powerful concept enables you to write more flexible, maintainable, and extensible code in Python.

Understanding Polymorphism Through Examples

Let’s dive into some examples to illustrate how polymorphism works in Python:

Example 1: Method Overriding

Method overriding is a form of polymorphism where a subclass provides its own implementation of a method that is already defined in its superclass. Here’s an example:

class Animal:
    def make_sound(self):
        print("The animal makes a sound.")

class Dog(Animal):
    def make_sound(self):
        print("The dog barks.")

class Cat(Animal):
    def make_sound(self):
        print("The cat meows.")

# Create instances of the subclasses
dog = Dog()
cat = Cat()

# Call the make_sound method on each instance
dog.make_sound()…