Inheritance is a fundamental concept in object-oriented programming that allows a class to inherit properties and behavior from another class. In Java, a subclass can inherit attributes and methods from a superclass, promoting code reusability and a natural organization of classes. The syntax for implementing inheritance in Java involves using the "extends" keyword followed by the name of the superclass. A subclass can inherit methods from a superclass and also define its own unique behavior. Inheritance enables code reusability by allowing developers to implement shared methods in a superclass, reducing redundancy and fostering maintainability. It also allows for polymorphism, which enables the use of a superclass reference to refer to a subclass object. Inheritance is useful when there are common properties and behaviors among classes, such as in the example of a Programmer and Manager class that both have common properties like name, address, and phone number. These common properties can be pulled out into a new class, such as Employee, which can be inherited by the Programmer and Manager classes. Inheriting a class is also referred to as subclassing, and the inherited class is referred to as the superclass or parent class. Overall, inheritance is a powerful feature in Java that enhances code reusability and promotes a hierarchical class structure.
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