Greetings! In today's lesson, we'll delve into the concept of polymorphism in Ruby's Object-Oriented Programming (OOP). Understanding polymorphism empowers us to use a single entity (a method, class, or module) to represent different behaviors in various scenarios. Let's proceed.
Polymorphism, a fundamental principle of OOP, allows one object to appear in multiple forms. Imagine a button in software; depending on its type (for example, a submit button or a radio button), the action resulting from pressing it can differ. This flexibility embodies the essence of polymorphism!
Let's explore polymorphism through a simple application involving shapes. The base Shape
class will have an area
method, which calculates the area for shapes. This method will be uniquely implemented in the subclasses Rectangle
and Circle
.
Here, polymorphism shines as the area
method adopts multiple forms and behaves differently depending on whether it's part of a Rectangle
or a Circle
.
Polymorphism is invaluable when working with inheritance, as a single action can exhibit different behaviors for different object types, streamlining the code while enhancing readability and maintainability.
Great job! We've now learned about polymorphism, observed its implementation, and discovered its applications within Ruby. Prepare for hands-on practice tasks, apply what you've learned, and excel in Ruby programming. Happy coding!
