Consider the provided Person class:
In this class, the instance variables @name and @age serve as
containers that hold the specific characteristics of an instance
of the Person class. The instance method introduce can be
invoked on a Person object to reveal information about that
individual.
The class acts as a unified entity bundling both the
data, represented by the instance variables, and the methods that
operate on that data. This cohesion establishes a protective
boundary, safeguarding the data from unauthorized access and
alterations, a principle known as encapsulation.
Encapsulation serves to conceal internal details, exposing only
the essential components. Using class objects, we create
encapsulated instance variables and methods accessible solely by
the object's class or the object itself, restricting access from
external sources.
Employing method access control further fortifies this encapsulation,
restricting even the object itself from accessing these variables and
methods. We will learn about access control modifiers in the next lesson.