Polymorphism

Polymorphism

Definition: The ability of objects of different classes to be treated as if they are of the same class, allowing for a single function call to have different behaviors depending on the type of object being used.

Code Example:

#include <iostream>

class Animal {
public:
    virtual void makeSound() const = 0; // pure virtual function
};

class Dog : public Animal {
public:
    virtual void makeSound() const override {
        std::cout << "Woof!" << std::endl;
    }
};

class Cat : public Animal {
public:
    virtual void makeSound() const override {
        std::cout << "Meow!" << std::endl;
    }
};

int main() {
    Animal* animalPtr = nullptr;
    Dog dog;
    Cat cat;
    
    animalPtr = &dog;
    animalPtr->makeSound(); // calls Dog's implementation of makeSound()
    
    animalPtr = &cat;
    animalPtr->makeSound(); // calls Cat's implementation of makeSound()
    
    return 0;
}