University of Central Florida (UCF) COP3330 Object Oriented Programming Final Practice Exam

Overriding a method in a subclass means replacing a method defined in a superclass with a new implementation in the subclass that has the same name, return type, and parameters. This allows the subclass to provide a specific behavior that is different from what the superclass defines. When a method is overridden, calls to that method on instances of the subclass will execute the subclass's version rather than the superclass's version, enabling polymorphism.

For instance, if the superclass has a method that provides a general implementation, the subclass can offer a more specialized version tailored to its particular characteristics or requirements. This mechanism is fundamental in object-oriented programming because it promotes code reuse and the creation of more specialized behaviors without altering the original code in the superclass.

This concept is central to how inheritance and polymorphism work in object-oriented programming, allowing for dynamic method resolution based on the actual object type at runtime.