Additional Notes
What determines which method body runs in Java?
Track: Java
Topic: Core Java
Focus: Upcasting and Dynamic Dispatch
Java: Upcasting and Dynamic Dispatch
Answer
The actual object's type determines the method.
In Java, the method that gets executed is determined by the actual type of the object at runtime, not the type of the reference variable. This is due to dynamic method dispatch, which allows overridden methods in subclasses to be called even when referenced as a superclass. For instance, if a `Product` reference points to a `Book` object, calling `display()` will run `Book`'s `display()` method if it's overridden.
In Java, the method that gets executed is determined by the actual type of the object at runtime, not the type of the reference variable. This is due to dynamic method dispatch, which allows overridden methods in subclasses to be called even when referenced as a superclass. For instance, if a `Product` reference points to a `Book` object, calling `display()` will run `Book`'s `display()` method if it's overridden.
Topics: Core Java Java Upcasting and Dynamic Dispatch