Object-Oriented Programming (OOP) Notes
Page 1: Introduction and Overview
1. What is object-oriented programming (OOP)?
OOP is a programming paradigm that models a program as a collection of interacting
objects. These objects represent real-world entities with attributes (data) and
behaviors (methods).
2. List the key object-oriented system concepts introduced in the overview:
Objects and Classes
Encapsulation
Methods and Variables
Inheritance
Message Passing
Polymorphism
Software Lifecycle Concepts
Object-Oriented Analysis (OOA) and Design (OOD)
1. What is meant by the software lifecycle in the context of OOP?
The software lifecycle refers to the stages of software development, from analysis
and design to implementation and maintenance. OOP supports this lifecycle by
promoting modularity and reusability through objects and classes.
2. What tools are involved in Object-Oriented Analysis (OOA) and Object-Oriented
Design (OOD)?
These include modeling tools, class diagrams, and design patterns that help analyze
system requirements and structure software in terms of objects.
Page 2: OOP Basics
5. How does OOP help in organizing a program?
OOP organizes code into logical units (objects), each encapsulating data and
functionality. This makes programs modular, easier to manage, and scalable.
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6. What roles do object instances play in a program?
Object instances are the actual entities created from class templates. Each instance
holds its own state and can execute behaviors defined by its class.
7. How do objects interact in an OOP system?
Objects communicate by sending messages to each other, typically by invoking
methods and passing parameters.
Page 3: Understanding Objects
8. How can real-world objects be modeled in OOP?
Real-world entities are represented by software objects with attributes (data fields)
and behaviors (methods), capturing their essence digitally.
9. Give two examples of real-world objects and explain their attributes and behaviors:
Dog
Attributes: breed, color, age
Behaviors: bark() , sleep() , eat()
Bank Account
Attributes: account number, balance, owner
Behaviors: deposit() , withdraw()
Page 4: Software Objects
10. Why is thinking in terms of the real world important in OOP?
It simplifies system design, making code intuitive and aligned with real-world logic,
which eases maintenance and debugging.
11. How does OOP help programmers model real-world processes?
By using objects to mimic real-world entities, OOP facilitates a natural and realistic
way to structure applications and workflows.
Page 5: Software Objects (continued)
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12. What are attributes and methods in the context of OOP?
Attributes: Variables holding the object's data (state).
Methods: Functions that define the object’s behavior (actions it can perform).
13. How are data structures and procedures treated in traditional programming
languages versus OOP?
In traditional programming, data and procedures are separated. In OOP, both are
bundled into objects, promoting cohesion.
Page 6: Classes
14. Define a class in object-oriented programming.
A class is a blueprint or template for creating objects. It defines the common
attributes and behaviors shared by its objects.
15. How is a class related to the objects instantiated from it?
Objects are created (instantiated) based on the class definition. Each object is an
instance of its class.
16. What is meant by a class being a "static definition"?
A class exists as source code until it's instantiated. It doesn’t hold runtime data itself
—only its instances do.
Page 7: Class Instances
17. Do all instances of a class share the same attributes?
They share the structure of attributes (same attribute names), but each has its own
values for those attributes.
18. How do values of attributes differ between instances?
Each object maintains its own unique state, meaning attributes can hold different
data for each instance.
Page 8: Bank Example
19. What does the "account" class define in the given bank example?
It bydefines
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and withdraw).
20. Which attributes and methods are defined in the bank account class?
Attributes: account number, balance
Methods: deposit() , withdraw()
Page 9: Bank Example (continued)
21. What is the significance of having multiple instances of a class?
It allows the program to manage multiple unique entities (e.g., different bank
accounts), each with independent data.
22. Explain how object state varies across instances.
Each instance stores its own data values for attributes like balance and account
number.
Page 10: Encapsulation
23. What is encapsulation in object-oriented programming?
Encapsulation hides an object’s internal state and only exposes necessary behaviors
via public methods.
24. How does encapsulation improve software design?
It improves maintainability, security, and clarity by limiting access to internal object
details and protecting object integrity.
Page 11: Graphical Object Model
25. What role do state variables and methods play in the graphical model of an object?
State variables store object data, while methods provide controlled access to this
data and define behavior.
26. How are state variables protected in OOP?
Through access control (e.g., private, protected), state variables are shielded from
direct access outside the class.
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Page 12: Instance Methods and Variables
27. What are instance methods and instance variables?
These are object-specific methods and variables—each instance has its own copy,
affecting only itself.
28. Why is it necessary to instantiate a class to use its instance-specific members?
Because instance members are tied to a particular object, and do not exist until an
object is created.
Page 13: Class Methods and Variables
29. What distinguishes class methods and variables from instance ones?
Class members belong to the class itself, not to any specific object, and are shared
across all instances.
30. Can class members be accessed without creating an object? Explain.
Yes, they can be accessed directly using the class name because they exist
independently of object instantiation.
Page 14: Class Variables (example)
31. What does a class variable represent?
A shared attribute common to all objects of the class. E.g., a counter tracking the
number of objects created.
32. In what way do instance variables differ from class variables?
Instance variables are unique per object, while class variables are shared among all
instances of the class.
Page 15: Inheritance
33. What is inheritance in object-oriented programming?
It's a mechanism where a subclass derives attributes and behaviors from a parent
class, promoting reusability.
34. List three ways a subclass can extend a parent class:
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Define new attributes/methods
Override existing methods
Hide inherited attributes/methods
Page 16: Subclasses
35. What is the purpose of creating subclasses?
To create specialized versions of a general class, allowing flexibility and code reuse.
36. Give examples of subclasses derived from general classes:
Terrier (from Dog)
SavingsAccount, CheckingAccount (from Account)
Page 17: New Account Types
37. How are SavingsAccount and CheckingAccount implemented as subclasses?
They extend the Account class, inheriting its methods and adding or modifying
behaviors like interest rates or custom withdrawal rules.
38. Which methods are inherited and which are newly defined or overridden?
Inherited: deposit() , balance() , acctNum()
New/Overridden: rate() (new in SavingsAccount), withdraw() (overridden in
CheckingAccount)
Page 18: New Account Types (continued)
39. What benefits does inheritance provide in the context of the new account types?
It avoids code duplication, ensures consistency, and allows extending or customizing
behavior without rewriting shared functionality.
40. Is it necessary to rewrite inherited methods in a subclass? Why or why not?
Not unless you need to change the behavior; inherited methods can be used as-is
unless customization is required.
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Page 19: Messages
41. What are messages in object-oriented systems?
Messages are method calls from one object to another, including the method name
and any parameters.
42. What are the main components of a message?
Target object
Method name
Parameters (if any)
Page 20: Message Passing
43. How does message passing enable interaction between objects?
It facilitates dynamic communication, allowing objects to invoke each other’s
methods at runtime.
44. What makes message passing different from procedure calls in other languages?
It’s runtime-based and supports decoupled, flexible interaction—the receiving object
decides how to handle the message.
Page 21: Polymorphism
45. Define polymorphism in OOP.
The ability for different classes to respond differently to the same message (method
call), depending on their type.
46. What happens when the same message is sent to different types of objects?
Each object executes the behavior appropriate to its class (e.g., draw() on a Circle
vs. a Square).
Page 22: Forms of Polymorphism
47. What is true polymorphism? Give an example.
Different classes define the same method name (e.g., draw() ) with unique
implementations.
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48. Explain parametric polymorphism and how it differs from method overloading.
Parametric polymorphism uses generic types, whereas overloading involves multiple
methods with the same name but different parameters.
49. What is method overriding, and how does it support polymorphism?
Method overriding allows a subclass to provide its own implementation of a method
inherited from its parent, enabling dynamic behavior.
Page 23: OOP Concepts Summary
50. Summarize the core principles of object-oriented programming.
Modeling systems with objects and classes
Using encapsulation to hide internal details
Applying inheritance for reusability
Leveraging polymorphism for dynamic behavior
51. How do encapsulation, inheritance, and polymorphism contribute to effective
software design?
Encapsulation secures internal object state
Inheritance promotes code reuse
Polymorphism enhances flexibility and scalability
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