polymorphism

Vocabulary Word

Definition

'Polymorphism' is a principle in programming that allows objects or functions to take on many forms. The same function or method can do different things depending on what it's working with. It's a way to simplify complex code and make it more flexible.

Examples in Different Contexts

When discussing software flexibility, an IT consultant might explain, 'Our software's polymorphic capabilities mean it can handle multiple tasks efficiently.'

Practice Scenarios

Design

Scenario:

We want to create a design system that's reusable and adaptable. How could we implement this across different design components?

Response:

With polymorphism, we can design a single component that adapts to various scenarios or use cases in our design system.

Business

Scenario:

Understanding our customer segments could make it easier to personalize our offerings. How could we represent this diversity in our customer data model?

Response:

We can use polymorphic associations in our data model to represent different types of customer properties.