duck operator Interview Questions and Answers
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What is the "duck operator" (or "duck typing")?
- Answer: Duck typing is a programming paradigm where the type or class of an object is less important than the methods it implements. If it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck, then it must be a duck. In essence, it focuses on the object's behavior rather than its explicit type.
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How does duck typing relate to polymorphism?
- Answer: Duck typing is strongly related to polymorphism. Polymorphism allows objects of different classes to be treated as objects of a common type. Duck typing is a way to achieve polymorphism without relying on explicit inheritance hierarchies or interface implementations.
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What are the advantages of using duck typing?
- Answer: Advantages include increased flexibility, reduced code complexity (less reliance on interfaces), improved code reusability, and easier testing (you can mock objects easily).
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What are the disadvantages of using duck typing?
- Answer: Disadvantages include potential runtime errors if an object doesn't have the expected methods, reduced code readability (if not used carefully), and difficulty in statically verifying the correctness of the code.
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Give an example of duck typing in Python.
- Answer: ```python def quack(obj): if hasattr(obj, 'quack'): obj.quack() class Duck: def quack(self): print("Quack!") class Person: def quack(self): print("I can imitate a duck!") duck = Duck() person = Person() quack(duck) # Output: Quack! quack(person) # Output: I can imitate a duck! ```
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How does duck typing differ from static typing?
- Answer: Static typing checks types at compile time, while duck typing checks at runtime. Static typing offers more compile-time safety but less flexibility, while duck typing is more flexible but potentially less safe.
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How does duck typing differ from dynamic typing?
- Answer: Dynamic typing refers to when type checking is done at runtime. Duck typing is a *style* of dynamic typing focusing on behavior rather than explicit type declarations. All duck typing is dynamic typing, but not all dynamic typing is duck typing.
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Can duck typing lead to runtime errors? Explain.
- Answer: Yes, if an object lacks the method called upon it, a `AttributeError` will occur at runtime. This is because the check for the method's existence happens when the code is executed, not during compilation.
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How can you mitigate the risk of runtime errors with duck typing?
- Answer: Use `hasattr()` to check for the existence of methods before calling them, or use `try-except` blocks to handle `AttributeError` exceptions gracefully.
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