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Python’s Superpower: Polymorphism for Flexible and Powerful Code

A Practical Guide to Writing Python Code That Adapts and Thrives

Max N
3 min readFeb 25, 2024
Photo by Opt Lasers on Unsplash

In the world of Python programming, one concept stands out as a true game-changer — polymorphism. While the term might sound complex, its essence lies in simplicity and flexibility.

In this guide, we’ll unravel the magic behind polymorphism, exploring how it empowers your Python code to adapt and thrive in various situations.

What is Polymorphism?

At its core, polymorphism allows objects of different types to be treated as objects of a common type. It’s like having a universal remote that works seamlessly with multiple devices. In Python, polymorphism is achieved through two main mechanisms — method overloading and method overriding.

Let’s dive into a straightforward example of method overloading:

class Calculator:
def add(self, x, y):
return x + y

def add(self, x, y, z):
return x + y + z

# Creating an instance of the Calculator class
calculator = Calculator()

# Using the overloaded add method
result_2_params = calculator.add(3, 5)
result_3_params = calculator.add(3, 5, 7)

print(f"Result with 2 parameters: {result_2_params}") # Output: Result with 2 parameters…

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Max N
Max N

Written by Max N

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

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