Subtype polymorphism

Imagine you have a bunch of different toys, like cars, dolls, and blocks. These toys are all different shapes and sizes, but they all have something in common: they're all toys. This is kinda like subtype polymorphism!

In computer programming, we sometimes have a bunch of different objects that are related, but they each have their own unique characteristics. We call these objects subtypes. For example, we might have a bunch of different kinds of animals that all share some common features (like they all have legs and they all eat), but they each have their own unique traits (like cats meow and dogs bark).

With subtype polymorphism, we can group together these subtypes under a more general type (like "animal"), and then we can treat them all as if they're the same type. This is kinda like if you put all your toys in a toy box, they all get grouped together and become part of the toy box family.

When we use subtype polymorphism, we can write code that works with these general types (like "animal"), but then it can also work with any of the specific subtypes (like cats or dogs) without us having to change the code. It's kinda like if you had a toy box full of toys, and you said "I want to play with a toy," and your parent could just give you any toy from the box because they all count as toys.

So, subtype polymorphism is a way to group together related objects under a more general type, and then treat them all as if they're the same type. This makes it easier to write code that can work with different types of objects without having to write separate code for each one.