Introduction to Classes

Abstract

A class packs a set of data (variables) together with a set of functions operating on the data. The goal is to achieve more modular code by grouping data and functions into manageable (often small) units. Most of the mathematical computations in this book can easily be coded without using classes, but in many problems, classes enable either more elegant solutions or code that is easier to extend at a later stage. In the non-mathematical world, where there are no mathematical concepts and associated algorithms to help structure the problem solving, software development can be very challenging. Classes may then improve the understanding of the problem and contribute to simplify the modeling of data and actions in programs. As a consequence, almost all large software systems being developed in the world today are heavily based on classes.