Polymorphism in Python-

Polymorphism in Python

Polymorphism is derived from two Greek words: “poly,” meaning many, and “morph,” meaning form. In the context of programming, polymorphism refers to the ability of different objects or data types to respond to the same method or function in a way that is specific to their type. Simply put, polymorphism allows you to write code that can work with multiple types of data without knowing their exact type in advance.

Python is an object-oriented programming language, and polymorphism is a fundamental concept in object-oriented programming. In Python, polymorphism is achieved through method overriding and method overloading. Let’s take a closer look at these two aspects.

In the below PDF we discuss about Sets in Python in detail in simple language, Hope this will help in better understanding.

Python's polymorphism is primarily achieved through two mechanisms:

1.Method Overriding:

Method overriding occurs when a subclass provides a specific implementation of a method that is already defined in its superclass. This allows objects of the subclass to use the overridden method instead of the one in the superclass. The overridden method must have the same name, parameters, and return type as the one in the superclass.

Here’s a simple example:

class Animal:
def speak(self):
pass

class Dog(Animal):
def speak(self):
return "Woof!"

class Cat(Animal):
def speak(self):
return "Meow!"

def animal_speak(animal):
return animal.speak()

dog = Dog()
cat = Cat()

print(animal_speak(dog)) # Output: "Woof!"
print(animal_speak(cat)) # Output: "Meow!"

In this example, we have an Animal superclass with a speak method, and both Dog and Cat subclasses override this method with their specific implementations. When we call the animal_speak function with a Dog or Cat object, it invokes the appropriate speak method based on the object’s type.

2.Method Overloading:

Method overloading, on the other hand, allows a class to have multiple methods with the same name but different parameters. Python doesn’t support traditional method overloading like some other languages, such as Java or C++. However, you can achieve method overloading by using default arguments or variable-length argument lists like *args and **kwargs.

Here’s a simple example using default arguments:

class Calculator:
def add(self, a, b=0):
return a + b

calc = Calculator()
result1 = calc.add(5)
result2 = calc.add(3, 7)

print(result1) # Output: 5
print(result2) # Output: 10

In this example, the add method can accept either one or two arguments. If you provide only one argument, it defaults to using 0 for the second argument.

Benefits of Polymorphism:

Polymorphism offers several benefits in Python programming:

Code Reusability: With polymorphism, you can write code that can work with a wide range of data types, making your code more reusable and efficient.
Simplified Code: Polymorphism allows you to write more concise and clear code by abstracting away complex type-checking logic.
Scalability: As your program grows, polymorphism makes it easier to add new classes or data types without having to modify existing code extensively.
Enhanced Readability: Polymorphic code is often more readable and easier to maintain because it promotes a clean separation of concerns between different classes and methods