What is Polymorphism?

In the context of .NET, polymorphism refers to the ability of objects to exhibit different behaviors or have different forms based on the context in which they are used. There are two main types of polymorphism in .NET:

1. Compile-time polymorphism: Also known as static polymorphism or early binding, this type of polymorphism is achieved through method overloading and operator overloading. Method overloading allows multiple methods in the same class to have the same name but different parameters, enabling the compiler to determine which method to call based on the number and types of arguments passed to it. Operator overloading, on the other hand, allows operators such as +, -, *, /, etc., to be redefined for user-defined types.
2. Runtime polymorphism: Also known as dynamic polymorphism or late binding, this type of polymorphism is achieved through method overriding and interface implementation. Method overriding allows a subclass to provide a specific implementation of a method that is already defined in its superclass. This allows for the substitution of objects of the subclass for objects of the superclass, with the appropriate method being called based on the actual type of the object at runtime. Interface implementation allows a class to implement one or more interfaces, defining specific behavior for each method declared in the interface.

In summary, polymorphism in .NET allows for code reuse, flexibility, and extensibility by enabling objects to exhibit different behaviors based on their context or the types they represent.