CS - Classes

Instantiation

The process of creating an instance (object) from a class in Object-Oriented Programming.

Class

A blueprint for creating objects that groups related variables and methods together.

Object Creation

The act of using a class to create an object based on that class's structure.

Method

A function that is defined within a class, typically operating on instances of that class.

Constructor

A special method in a class (usually named init) that is called when an object is instantiated.

self

A reference to the current instance of the class, allowing access to its attributes and methods.

Attribute

A variable that belongs to a class instance, representing the state or properties of that object.

Instance

A specific realization of a class; an object created from a class.

Encapsulation

The practice of enclosing variables and methods in a class to protect internal states and promote modularity.

Inheritance

A mechanism in OOP where a new class can inherit properties and methods from an existing class.

Polymorphism

The ability to present the same interface for different data types in OOP.

Abstraction

The concept of hiding the complex reality while exposing only the necessary parts in OOP.

Destructor

A method that is called when an object is about to be destroyed; typically named del in Python.

Function Overloading

Defining multiple functions with the same name but different parameters within the same scope.

Composition

A design principle in OOP where a class is composed of one or more objects from other classes.