Java Example - Method Overriding

In previous sections, we have learned about Java method overloading. In this article, we will look at the implementation of Java method overriding.

The differences between method overloading and method overriding are as follows:

Method Overloading: If two methods have the same name but different parameters, then one method is considered an overload of the other.
Method Overriding: If a method in a subclass has the same name, return type, and parameter signature as a method in its superclass, then the method in the subclass is said to override the method in the superclass.

The following example demonstrates the implementation of Java method overriding:

Findareas.java File

public class Findareas {
    public static void main(String[] args) {
        Figure f = new Figure(10, 10);
        Rectangle r = new Rectangle(9, 5);
        Figure figref;
        figref = f;
        System.out.println("Area is :" + figref.area());
        figref = r;
        System.out.println("Area is :" + figref.area());
    }
}

class Figure {
    double dim1;
    double dim2;
    Figure(double a, double b) {
        dim1 = a;
        dim2 = b;
    }
    Double area() {
        System.out.println("Inside area for figure.");
        return (dim1 * dim2);
    }
}

class Rectangle extends Figure {
    Rectangle(double a, double b) {
        super(a, b);
    }
    Double area() {
        System.out.println("Inside area for rectangle.");
        return (dim1 * dim2);
    }
}

The output of the above code is:

Inside area for figure.
Area is :100.0
Inside area for rectangle.
Area is :45.0