Generalization and Specialization:
Generalization:
- Idea: Combining common features of different things to create a more general category.
- Example: If we have classes like “car,” “bus,” and “aeroplane,” we can generalize them into a higher-level class called “vehicle.”
- Relationship: Represents an “is-a-kind-of” relationship (e.g., “car is a kind of land vehicle”).
Specialization:
- Idea: Creating specific categories by highlighting unique features of objects within a general class.
- Example: If we have a general class “vehicle,” we can specialize it into “car,” “bus,” and “aeroplane” based on their unique features.
- Relationship: Subclasses are specialized versions of the super-class.
Relation to Inheritance:
- Concept: Inheritance and generalization refer to the same idea of reusing shared attributes and operations in a hierarchy.
- Generalization: Moving from specifics (subclasses) to the generic (superclass).
- Inheritance: The effect of generalization on subclasses.
Aggregation:
- Idea: Representing a stronger form of association, showing a “has-a” or “part-of” relationship.
- Example: Describing a “house” in terms of its parts like roof, floors, foundation, etc.
- Representation: Complex objects composed of other objects.
- Purpose: Helps model real-world scenarios where things are composed of other things.
