1.8.2. Methods and Classes

Let’s use our car example to introduce some key object-oriented programming concepts. Performing a task in a program requires a method. The method houses the program statements that actually perform its tasks. The method hides these statements from its user, just as the accelerator pedal of a car hides from the driver the mechanisms of making the car go faster. A program unit called a class houses the methods that perform the class’s tasks. For example, a class that represents a bank account might contain one method to deposit money to an account, another to withdraw money from an account and a third to inquire what the account’s current balance is. A class is similar in concept to a car’s engineering drawings, which house the design of an accelerator pedal, steering wheel, and so on.