Abstraction

Abstraction in OOP is the concept and process of hiding the detailed implementation and showing only the essential features of the object. It's about focusing on the 'what' over the 'how'.

Abstraction helps in managing complexity by dealing with objects at a higher, more generic level.

Think of abstraction like using a TV remote. You don't need to understand the complex electronics inside the TV and remote. You only need to know the buttons to press for your desired outcome.

Abstraction in OOP helps in reducing complexity by focusing on what needs to be done, not necessarily how it's done. It allows programmers to think at a more conceptual level and build systems that are easier to understand, maintain, and expand.

Some benefits of Abstraction includes:

1. Simplifies Understanding: By reducing complexity, abstraction makes it easier to focus on interactions at a higher level.
2. Increases Reusability: Abstract classes and interfaces can be reused for various implementations.
3. Improves Maintainability: Changes in abstracted code are often localized, affecting minimal parts of the system.

Implementing Abstraction in OOP

You can achieve abstraction in OOP by using Abstract classes or Interfaces. We'll cover both later in this tutorial.

• Abstract Classes: Classes that contain one or more abstract methods. An abstract method is a method that is declared, but contains no implementation.
• Interfaces: Another way to achieve abstraction in OOP. Interfaces provide a way to enforce certain methods to be implemented by any class that implements the interface.

Example: A Vehicle System

Consider a system modeling different types of vehicles.

class Vehicle:
    def move(self):
        pass

class Car(Vehicle):
    def move(self):
        return "Car moves on roads"

class Boat(Vehicle):
    def move(self):
        return "Boat moves in water"

• Here, Vehicle is an abstract class with an abstract method move.
• Car and Boat are concrete classes must implement specific behavior for move.
• The abstract Vehicle class, only focuses on high-level mechanisms. It hides the complex implementation and only shows essential features which simplifies interactions with it.