Object-Oriented Programming

Object Oriented Programming (OOP) is a programming paradigm that revolves around the concept of objects, which can contain data and functionality. OOP is based on the principle of encapsulation, which means that data and functionality are packaged together within an object and hidden from the outside world. OOP also emphasizes the concepts of inheritance and polymorphism, which enable the creation of complex systems through the use of reusable code.

Python is an object-oriented programming language that fully supports OOP concepts. In Python, everything is an object, including integers, strings, lists, and even functions. Python supports OOP concepts such as encapsulation, inheritance, and polymorphism.

Objects and Classes:

At the heart of OOP is the concept of objects and classes. An object is an instance of a class, and a class is a blueprint or template for creating objects. Classes are defined using the class keyword, followed by the name of the class, and a colon. The attributes and methods of the class are defined within the body of the class.

Encapsulation:

Encapsulation is the concept of hiding the implementation details of a class and exposing only the interface or the public methods of the class. This is achieved in Python using private, protected, and public access modifiers.

In Python, all variables and methods are public by default. However, we can use the double underscore (__) prefix to make variables and methods private. This means they cannot be accessed from outside the class.

Inheritance:

Inheritance is the process of creating a new class by inheriting the properties and methods of an existing class. The existing class is called the base class or the parent class, and the new class is called the derived class or the child class.

In Python, we can create a derived class by specifying the name of the base class in parentheses after the name of the derived class. The derived class inherits all the attributes and methods of the base class..

Polymorphism:

Polymorphism is the ability of an object to take on many forms. In Python, polymorphism is achieved through method overriding and method overloading.

Method overriding is the process of redefining a method in the derived class that was already defined in the base class. The method in the derived class overrides the method in the base class.

Method overloading is the process of defining multiple methods with the same name but different parameters. Python does not support method overloading in the traditional sense. However, we can achieve method overloading in Python by using default arguments and variable-length arguments.

Conclusion

Object-oriented programming is a powerful and flexible programming paradigm that can help you write cleaner, more organized code. In this lecture, we introduced you to the basics of OOP in Python, including objects and classes, encapsulation, inheritance, and polymorphism. With this knowledge, you should be able to start using OOP concepts in your Python programs.