Java Methods Chapter 11 Vocabulary: Class Hierarchies and Interfaces

Vocabulary flashcards covering core object-oriented programming concepts including class hierarchies, abstract classes, polymorphism, and interfaces.

Inheritance

A feature of object-oriented programming where a class extends another class, inheriting all of its fields and methods.

Superclass

The base class in an inheritance relationship that defines more general features for its subclasses.

Subclass

A derived class that extends a superclass, inheriting all fields and methods, defining more specific features, or overriding methods.

IS-A Relationship

The relationship represented by inheritance between object types, where a subclass object acts as a specialized version of its superclass.

Taxonomy

A system of classification in which an object is defined as a special case of another object.

Abstract Method

A method declared with the keyword abstract in its header that supplies no code body, not even empty braces.

Abstract Class

A class that contains at least one abstract method and cannot be instantiated to create objects.

Concrete Class

A class with no abstract methods that supplies its own constructors and defines all inherited abstract methods.

super Keyword

A Java keyword used within a subclass to explicitly invoke a superclass constructor or superclass method.

Polymorphism

An OOP feature ensuring that the specific type's method is executed at run time, even when the object is referenced as a generic superclass or interface type.

Dynamic Method Binding

The runtime mechanism, also known as late binding, that Java uses to look up method addresses from an entry point table to execute polymorphism.

Interface

A Java structure containing only abstract method headers without method bodies, constructors, or instance fields.

implements

A Java reserved word used by a concrete class to declare that it provides definitions for all methods specified in an interface.