Inheritance in Java

1. What is Inheritance?

Inheritance is a mechanism in Java by which one class (child/subclass) can acquire the properties (fields) and behaviors (methods) of another class (parent/superclass). It promotes code reusability and method overriding.

2. Types of Inheritance in Java

Java supports several types of inheritance:

Single Inheritance A class inherits from one parent class.

Multilevel Inheritance
A class inherits from a subclass, forming a chain of inheritance.

Hierarchical Inheritance
Multiple classes inherit from the same parent class.

Note: Java does not support multiple inheritance (a class cannot inherit from more than one class) to avoid ambiguity. But multiple inheritance can be achieved using interfaces.

3. super Keyword

• Used to access parent class members (fields/methods/constructors).

class Animal {
    void eat() { System.out.println("Animal eats"); }
}

class Dog extends Animal {
    void eat() {
        super.eat(); // call parent method
        System.out.println("Dog eats"); 
    }
}

class Animal {
    void eat() { System.out.println("Animal eats"); }
}

class Dog extends Animal {
    void eat() {
        super.eat(); // call parent method
        System.out.println("Dog eats"); 
    }
}

4. Benefits of Inheritance

• Code reusability: Use existing code instead of rewriting it.
• Method overriding: Customize inherited methods.
• Polymorphism: Objects can take multiple forms using inherited types.

5. Summary Table

If you want, I can also draw a diagram showing all types of inheritance in Java to make it visually clear.

Do you want me to do that?