Polymorphism is a fundamental concept in object-oriented programming (OOP) that allows objects of different types to be treated as objects of a common base type. It enables code to be written in a more generic and flexible manner, promoting code reuse and extensibility.

In Dot Net, polymorphism is achieved through inheritance and method overriding. When a derived class inherits from a base class, it can override the base class’s methods with its own implementation. This allows objects of the derived class to be used interchangeably with objects of the base class, providing a level of abstraction and flexibility.

Polymorphism is used in various scenarios, such as:

Method Overriding: When a derived class overrides a method from its base class, it can provide a specialized implementation while still adhering to the base class’s contract. This allows for different behavior based on the actual type of the object.

Interface Implementation: Interfaces define a contract that classes can implement. By implementing an interface, a class can be treated as an instance of that interface, enabling polymorphic behavior.

Collections and Generics: Polymorphism is often used when working with collections of objects. By using a common base type or interface, different types of objects can be stored in the same collection, allowing for more flexible and generic code.

A real-time example of polymorphism can be seen in a banking system. Suppose we have a base class called Account and derived classes like SavingsAccount and CheckingAccount. Each derived class can override the Withdraw method from the base class to provide its own implementation. When processing transactions, the system can treat all accounts as instances of the Account class, allowing for polymorphic behavior when withdrawing funds.