Explain Java Polymorphism, Overloading, and Overriding

Explain polymorphism in Java, then distinguish method overloading from method overriding. Use a small example to show how the declared reference type and the runtime object type affect a call. ### Clarifying Questions Focus on ordinary instance methods and reference types. Discuss static methods separately rather than assuming all methods use runtime dispatch. ### Part 1 — Polymorphism How can a parent or interface reference refer to a subtype object, and what determines the behavior of an overridden call? #### What This Part Should Cover Separate the operations available through the reference type from the implementation chosen at runtime. ### Part 2 — Overloading and Overriding What makes two methods overloads, and what makes a subclass method an override? Can changing only a return type create an overload? #### What This Part Should Cover Explain compile-time overload selection, runtime instance-method dispatch, and inherited overloads. ### What a Strong Answer Covers Accurate definitions with a worked example, including why overload resolution and overriding are different stages. ### Follow-up Questions - What does @Override help detect? - Do fields and static methods participate in the same runtime dispatch as overridden instance methods?