Object-Oriented Programming (OOP) is a programming paradigm centered around the concept of "objects," which can contain data and methods. It is designed to model real-world entities and their interactions in a programmatic way. Here are the key concepts of OOP:
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Classes and Objects:
- Class: A blueprint for creating objects. It defines the properties (attributes) and behaviors (methods) that the objects created from the class can have.
- Object: An instance of a class. It represents a specific example of a class with actual values for its attributes.
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Encapsulation:
- Encapsulation is the practice of bundling the data (attributes) and methods (functions) that operate on the data into a single unit called an object. It restricts direct access to some of an object's components, which is a means of preventing unintended interference and misuse of the data.
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Inheritance:
- Inheritance is a mechanism in which one class (called a subclass or derived class) inherits the properties and behaviors of another class (called a superclass or base class). It allows for the creation of a new class that is based on an existing class, enabling code reuse and the extension of functionality.
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Polymorphism:
- Polymorphism allows objects to be treated as instances of their parent class rather than their actual class. The most common use of polymorphism is when a parent class reference is used to refer to a child class object. It enables the same operation to behave differently on different classes.
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Abstraction:
- Abstraction is the concept of hiding the complex implementation details and showing only the essential features of an object. It helps in reducing programming complexity and effort.
These concepts together make OOP a powerful and flexible programming paradigm, promoting code reusability, scalability, and maintainability.