What is a static method?

A static method is a type of method that is associated with the class itself rather than any specific instance of the class. This allows the method to be called without the need to create an object. Static methods are often used for operations that do not require access to instance variables or instance methods, making them useful for utility functions or operations related to the class as a whole.

Static methods can be called directly using the class name followed by the method name, such as ClassName.methodName(). This is a fundamental aspect of object-oriented programming that aids in resource management and can improve performance, as there is no need to instantiate an object to access the method.

The other choices describe characteristics that do not pertain to static methods. For example, methods that can only be called on an object instance are instance methods, not static methods. Overriding refers specifically to instance methods that can be redefined in a subclass, which again does not apply to static methods, as they are not involved in the inheritance mechanism like instance methods are. Lastly, access restrictions relate more to access modifiers like private or public rather than defining the static nature of a method.