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Object-Oriented Programming : Understanding Classes and Objects in for Beginners (The Easiest Way)

 

What is OOP?

Object-Oriented Programming (OOP) is one of the most widespread program paradigms. In essence, OOP is constructed on classes and objects. 

Learning about classes and objects is the essential first step into object-oriented programming (OOP) because they provide the fundamental framework for the entire object-oriented programming (OOP) paradigm.

A deep understanding of these two concepts shifts a programmer's thinking from a procedural, step-by-step approach to a more intuitive, real-world modeling approach.

By having a solid understanding of these concepts you can write organized, reusable and maintainable code that is capable of intuitively modeling problems in the real world.

What is a Class in OOP?

A class is a blueprint or template that defines appearance and behavior of objects.

  • It specifies the attributes (data) that objects will have.

  • It defines the methods (functions/behaviors) that objects can perform.

However, a class by itself is not a real entity. It does not have to take up space by holding real values until an object is created out of it. 

In other words, a class is like a design plan — it tells us what an object should be but is not the object itself.

Analogy: Class as a Recipe

Think of a class as a recipe:

  • A  recipe gives you a list of ingredients and a steps of what to do.

  • But the recipe itself is not food — you can’t eat a recipe.

  • Only after the actual cooking using the recipe you obtain something real.

Likewise, there is a class that determines the attributes and behaviors but the object is the actual usable entity.

What is an Object?

An object is an instance of a class.

  • It is the actual entity that exists in memory.

  • An object has its own state (data/attributes) and behavior (methods/actions).

  • Objects are created from classes, and multiple objects can be made from the same class.

Analogy: Object as the Dish

Continuing with the recipe analogy:

  • If the class is the recipe, then an object is the dish cooked from that recipe.

  • You can cook multiple dishes using the same recipe (i.e., create multiple objects from the same class).

  • Each dish may taste slightly different if you use different ingredients (different values for attributes).

Example: A “Cake” recipe is a class, while the “Chocolate Cake” and “Vanilla Cake” you actually bake are objects.

Visual Representaion

Real-Life Analogy: House

  • Class = House Blueprint 

    • It defines where the rooms, doors, and windows will be.

    • But you cannot live in the blueprint itself.

  • Object = Actual House Built

    • Once the house is constructed from the blueprint, you can live in it.

    • Many houses (objects) can be built from the same blueprint (class).

    • Each house may look different (different paint, furniture, or size), but all follow the same design.

                                                              Visual Representaion

Human Example

Let’s take humans as an example:

  • Class = Human

    • Defines general properties and actions such as:

      • Attributes: name, age, place

      • Methods: eat(), sleep(), talk(), walk()

  • Object = Real Person

    • Tony Stark→ name = "Tony Stark", age = 48, place = New York, USA

    • Jack Sparrow→ name = "Jack Sparrow", age = 40, place = Caribbean Sea

                                                                 Visual Representaion

Both Tony Stark and Jack Sparrow are objects (instances) of the Human class, but they have different attribute values.

Example in Programming (C++/Java style)

   Key Points:

  • Class Car defines the template (brand, year, and start function).

  • Objects car1 and car2 are actual instances of Car.

  • Each object has its own data (Tesla vs BMW) but shares the same structure (brand, year, start).

Another Analogy: Human Class

Imagine a Human class:

  • Attributes: name, age, height

  • Methods: eat(), sleep(), talk()

Every real person (like you and me) is an object of the Human class, with different values for attributes.

Final Takeaway

In OOP, a class is similar to a blueprint that specifies the structure and behavior of objects. It only offers the structure but does not store actual data. The actual usable things made from that blueprint are called objects, they all have the same design but differ in their values.

  • Class = Definition, 

  • Object = Realization.

Without a class, you cannot create an object. Without objects, a class is just an empty design. 



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