#java #oop #polymorphism #programming

Java Concepts I’m Mastering – Part 6: Method Overriding & Runtime Polymorphism Continuing my journey of mastering Java fundamentals. Today’s concept: Method Overriding — the foundation of runtime polymorphism. What is Method Overriding? Method Overriding happens when: A child class provides its own implementation Of a method already defined in the parent class Same method name. Same parameters. Different behavior. Example class Animal { void sound() { System.out.println("Animal makes a sound"); } } class Dog extends Animal { @Override void sound() { System.out.println("Dog barks"); } } Now: Animal a = new Dog(); a.sound(); Output: Dog barks Even though the reference type is Animal, the method of Dog is called. This is Runtime Polymorphism. Why is it Powerful? Enables dynamic behavior Supports clean extensible design Core concept behind frameworks & APIs Important Rules Method name must be same Parameters must be same Access level cannot be more restrictive Use @override for safety What