Java Interlude 7: Inheritance and Polymorphism

These flashcards cover key concepts related to inheritance and polymorphism in Java, focusing on their definitions and characteristics.

Inheritance

A mechanism in object-oriented programming that allows one class to inherit the properties and methods of another class.

Polymorphism

The ability of different classes to be treated as instances of the same class through a common interface, enabling one method to act differently based on the object that invokes it.

Abstract Class

A class that cannot be instantiated and is meant to be subclassed; it may contain abstract methods that must be implemented by derived classes.

Access Modifiers

Keywords in Java that set the visibility of classes, methods, and variables; the common ones are public, private, protected, and package-private.

Dynamic Type

The actual type of the object that is referenced by a variable at runtime, determining which method version is called.

Protected Access

An access modifier that allows methods and data fields to be accessed within the same package and by subclasses, but not by other classes.

Final Class

A class that cannot be subclassed; it is declared using the final keyword and prevents inheritance.

Abstract Method

A method that is declared without an implementation in its abstract class and must be implemented in any subclass.

Interface

A reference type in Java that can contain only constants, method signatures, default methods, static methods, and nested types; classes implement interfaces to specify their behaviors.

Stack Interface

An interface defining the operations of a stack data structure, including methods for push, pop, and peek.