Polymorphism

Polymorphism is a fundamental concept in object-oriented programming (OOP) that allows objects to take on different forms while maintaining their original interfaces. Polymorphism enables the use of a single interface to represent multiple types of objects, which helps to write cleaner, more modular and maintainable code.

            class Animal:
                def speak(self):
                    print("The animal makes a sound")

            class Dog(Animal):
                def speak(self):
                    print("The dog barks")

            class Cat(Animal):
                def speak(self):
                    print("The cat meows")

            dog = Dog()
            cat = Cat()

            dog.speak()  # The dog barks
            cat.speak()  # The cat meows
        

In this example, we have an Animal class that has a speak method that prints a generic message. We then define a Dog class and a Cat class that inherit from the Animal class and override the speak method with their own specific implementations.

Conclusion

Polymorphism makes code more flexible and extensible, allowing us to create more generic and reusable code. It also simplifies code maintenance and reduces redundancy, making it easier to add new features and fix bugs.