What is runtime polymorphism, and can you provide a code example to illustrate it?

Question

Accepted Answer

Runtime polymorphism allows a subclass to provide a specific implementation of a method that is already provided by its parent class.

Runtime polymorphism is achieved through method overriding, where a subclass provides its own implementation of a method that is already defined in its superclass.
The method to be overridden must have the same name, return type, and parameters in both the superclass and subclass.
When an object of the subclass is assigned to a reference variable of the superclass, the subclass's overridden method is called at runtime.
Example: // Superclass public class Animal { public void makeSound() { System.out.println("Animal makes a sound"); } } // Subclass public class Dog extends Animal { @Override public void makeSound() { System.out.println("Dog barks"); } } // Main class public class Main { public static void main(String[] args) { Animal myDog = new Dog(); myDog.makeSound(); // Output: Dog barks } }

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