Polymorphism in Object-Oriented Programming: Inclusion Mechanism

This lecture discusses the concept of polymorphism in object-oriented programming, specifically focusing on inclusion polymorphism. It begins by explaining the importance of class hierarchies and how they help avoid code maintenance issues associated with using a single class to handle multiple types. The instructor highlights the limitations of static link resolution and introduces dynamic link resolution through pointers. The lecture covers the significance of virtual methods and destructors in achieving polymorphism, emphasizing that without virtual destructors, memory management can lead to leaks. The instructor also illustrates how to implement heterogeneous collections using vectors of base class pointers, allowing for the storage of derived class instances. Throughout the lecture, various examples and code snippets are provided to clarify these concepts, demonstrating how polymorphism enhances flexibility and efficiency in managing collections of objects belonging to a class hierarchy.