Understanding
Classes and Objects



What are Classes and Objects?

In programming, a class is a blueprint or template that defines the structure and behavior (data and functions) of objects. An object is an actual instance of a class—just like a real-world object with properties and actions.

Imagine a class as a recipe and an object as the actual dish prepared from that recipe.

Real-World Analogy

Consider a "Car" as a class. All cars have certain properties like color, model, and engine type. They also have behaviors like drive, brake, and honk.

Why Do We Use Classes and Objects?

Basic Class and Object Structure

class Car:
    attribute color
    attribute model

    method drive():
        print "The car is driving."

    method brake():
        print "The car has stopped."

# Creating an object
myCar = new Car()
myCar.color = "Red"
myCar.model = "Sedan"

myCar.drive()
myCar.brake()

Output:

The car is driving.
The car has stopped.

Explanation of the Code

Question: What happens if you create another car object?

Answer: You can create as many car objects as needed, each with its own unique state (color, model, etc.), but all sharing the same behavior (methods).

Another Example: Class for a Student

Let’s consider modeling a student:

class Student:
    attribute name
    attribute grade

    method introduce():
        print "Hi, my name is " + name + " and I am in grade " + grade

# Creating objects
student1 = new Student()
student1.name = "Alice"
student1.grade = "10"

student2 = new Student()
student2.name = "Bob"
student2.grade = "12"

student1.introduce()
student2.introduce()

Output:

Hi, my name is Alice and I am in grade 10
Hi, my name is Bob and I am in grade 12

Beginner Intuition Check

Q: Can two objects have different values for the same attribute?
A: Yes, even though both are instances of the same class, their properties can have different values.

Key Takeaways

Practice Questions

Next Up

We’ll learn about constructors, the special methods used to initialize objects with default values upon creation.



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