Polymorphism and Abstract Classes in Programming

A core concept in OOP where objects of different classes can respond to the same method call in unique ways. Think of it like having one button ('draw') that triggers different actions depending on the object it's pressed on (like a line, circle, or triangle).

A blueprint for objects that can't be directly instantiated. It acts like a foundation with unfilled parts. Concrete classes derived from it must provide the missing parts to be fully functional. Imagine a 'Shape' blueprint with incomplete instructions; concrete shapes like 'Square' and 'Circle' must fill in the details to become real.

Classes that implement all necessary functionality and can be used to create objects. Think of them as finished and ready-to-use buildings based on the abstract blueprints. 'Rectangle' is a concrete class that inherits from the 'Shape' abstract class and has its own implementation.

Functions declared in abstract classes that have no definition but expect derived classes to provide their own specific implementation. It's like a mandatory task that must be completed by the inheriting classes. Think of them as unfinished tasks that must be finished by the child classes.

Special destructors in base classes that ensure proper cleanup regardless of the object's type. This is important when using base class pointers to manage derived objects. It's like having a universal cleaning tool that works for all derived types.