Question

The ability of code to execute differently depending on the type of data is called _________.

Short answer

Answer: Polymorphism

Step-by-step solution

Understand the concept

The ability of code to execute differently depending on the type of data refers to a programming concept where a single function or method behaves differently based on the data type it operates on. This concept is commonly seen in object-oriented programming languages like Java, C++, and Python.

Provide the term

The term that describes this concept is called "polymorphism." Polymorphism allows functions or methods to take different forms or be morphed based on the type of data or objects they are acting upon.

Key concepts

Object-Oriented Programming (OOP)

Object-Oriented Programming (OOP) is a programming paradigm centered around the concept of 'objects', which can contain data, in the form of fields, often known as attributes; and code, in the form of procedures, often known as methods. One of the main benefits of OOP is its ability to handle complexities by modeling real-world entities using classes and objects. This leads to better code manageability and scalability.

Classes serve as blueprints for objects, defining their structure and behaviors, while objects are instances of classes, populating the system with actual, usable components. OOP primarily revolves around four principles: encapsulation, abstraction, inheritance, and polymorphism. Polymorphism, in particular, is what facilitates the flexibility of having one interface with many implementations. For example, a 'print' method could behave differently when called on objects of different classes, like 'Document' or 'Spreadsheet', even though the interaction with the 'print' method remains consistent.

Data Types

Data types are the classification of data items. They tell the compiler or the interpreter how the programmer intends to use the data. Data types define the operations that can be done on the data, the meaning of the data, and the way values of that type can be stored. Common elementary data types include integers, floats (real numbers), characters, and booleans (true/false).

Complex data types, such as arrays, lists, and objects, provide more sophisticated structures to store a collection or a combination of data. Understanding data types is crucial for employing polymorphism, as the data type of an input to a function or method can significantly influence its behavior. For example, an 'add' function might concatenate two strings or perform arithmetic addition, depending on whether its input data types are strings or numbers respectively.

Method Overloading

Method overloading is an OOP technique that allows developers to define multiple methods with the same name but different signatures within a class. The signature of a method includes its name and parameter list (the number, types, and the order of parameters). Method overloading is a way to implement compile-time polymorphism, as the appropriate method to be executed is determined at compile-time based on the method signature.

Different implementations of an overloaded method can perform actions that are conceptually similar but take into account the different input parameters' data types. For instance, a method named 'draw' could be overloaded to accept different types of input shapes, such as 'draw(Circle circle)' or 'draw(Square square)', where each method variant draws the shape it receives as a parameter.