Object Oriented Programming Questions Medium
Method overloading and method overriding are two important concepts in object-oriented programming that involve the use of methods in classes.
Method overloading refers to the ability to define multiple methods with the same name but with different parameters within the same class. In other words, it allows a class to have multiple methods with the same name but different signatures. The parameters can differ in terms of their number, type, or order. During compilation, the compiler determines which method to call based on the arguments passed to it. Method overloading is also known as compile-time polymorphism or static polymorphism.
On the other hand, method overriding occurs when a subclass provides a specific implementation of a method that is already defined in its superclass. In this case, the method name, return type, and parameters must be the same in both the superclass and the subclass. The purpose of method overriding is to provide a different implementation of the method in the subclass, which allows for the specialization of behavior. Method overriding is also known as runtime polymorphism or dynamic polymorphism.
In summary, the main difference between method overloading and method overriding lies in the relationship between the methods. Method overloading involves multiple methods with the same name but different parameters within the same class, while method overriding involves a subclass providing a specific implementation of a method that is already defined in its superclass.