Written by the Fiveable Content Team • Last updated September 2025
Verified for the 2026 exam
Verified for the 2026 exam•Written by the Fiveable Content Team • Last updated September 2025
Definition
Object-oriented programming is a programming paradigm that organizes code into objects, which are instances of classes. It focuses on creating reusable and modular code by encapsulating data and behavior together.
Objects are instances of classes in object-oriented programming that combine data (attributes) and behavior (methods). They represent real-world entities or concepts.
In Java, reference types are used to store memory addresses that point to objects. They allow us to access and manipulate objects indirectly through references rather than directly accessing their memory locations.
Inheritance is a mechanism in object-oriented programming where one class inherits properties and behaviors from another class. It promotes code reusability by allowing new classes to be created based on existing ones.