Polymorphism

	Email		Print
	Bookmark		Link

Polymorphism

In general, polymorphism describes multiple possible states for a single property (it is said to be polymorphic, or polymorphous).

Polymorphism may specifically refer to:

In the biological sciences

In computing:

In digital media:

Miscellany:

Discussion

Ask a question about 'Polymorphism'

Start a new discussion about 'Polymorphism'

Answer questions from other users

Full Discussion Forum

Encyclopedia

Polymorphism (biology)
Polymorphism (biology)

Polymorphism in biology occurs when two or more clearly different phenotypes exist in the same population of a species ? in other words, the occurrence of more than one form or morph....
, having multiple allele
Allele

An allele is one member of a pair or series of different forms of a gene. Usually alleles are coding region, but sometimes the term is used to refer to a junk DNA....
s of a gene within a population, usually expressing different phenotypes
Polymorphism (biophysics) also referred to as Lipid
Lipid

Lipids are broadly defined as any fat-soluble , naturally-occurring molecule, such as fats, oils, waxes, cholesterol, sterols, fat-soluble vitamins , monoglycerides, diglycerides, phospholipids, and others....
polymorphism, the property of amphiphiles that gives rise to various aggregations of lipids
Polymorphism (botany), the ability of a plant to produce both quiescent
Seed

A seed is a small Plant embryogenesis plant enclosed in a covering called the seed coat, usually with some Food storage. It is the product of the ripened ovule of gymnosperm and angiosperm plants which occurs after fertilization and some growth within the mother plant....
and dormant seed
Seed

A seed is a small Plant embryogenesis plant enclosed in a covering called the seed coat, usually with some Food storage. It is the product of the ripened ovule of gymnosperm and angiosperm plants which occurs after fertilization and some growth within the mother plant....
s
In sexology
Sexology

Sexology is the study of sexual interests, behavior, and function. In modern sexology, researchers apply tools from several academic fields, including biology, medicine, psychology, statistics, epidemiology, pedagogics, sociology, anthropology, and criminology....
, polymorphous perversity
Polymorphous perversity

Polymorphous perverse is a psychoanalytic term for human ability to gain sexual gratification outside social norm sexual behaviors. Sigmund Freud used this term to describe the normal sexual disposition of humans from infancy to about age five....

In computing:

Type polymorphism
Type polymorphism

In computer science, polymorphism is a programming language feature that allows values of different data types to be handled using a uniform interface....
, allowing program code
Program code

Program code can refer to:*Source code*Machine code...
to work with various types
Polymorphism in object-oriented programming
Polymorphism in object-oriented programming

In simple terms, polymorphism is the ability of one type, A, to appear as and be used like another type, B. In strongly typed languages, this usually means that type A somehow derives from type B, or type A implements an interface that represents type B....
Polymorphic code
Polymorphic code

In computer terminology, polymorphic code is code that mutates while keeping the original algorithm intact. This technique is sometimes used by computer viruses, shellcodes and computer worms to hide their presence....
, self-modifying program code designed to defeat anti-virus programs

In digital media:

polymorphic or morphic media, media content with the ability to play different audio visual combinations from the same source material.

Miscellany:

Polymorphism (materials science)
Polymorphism (materials science)

Polymorphism in materials science is the ability of a solid material to exist in more than one form or crystal structure. Polymorphism can potentially be found in any crystalline material including polymers, minerals, and metals, and is related to allotropy, which refers to chemical elements....
, the ability of a solid material to exist in more than one form or crystal structure
Crystal structure

In mineralogy and crystallography, a crystal structure is a unique arrangement of atoms in a crystal. A crystal structure is composed of a motif, a set of atoms arranged in a particular way, and a lattice....
Polymorphism (mineralogy), the ability of a substance to exhibit more than one crystalline form. For example, diamond and graphite are polymorphs of carbon; calcite and aragonite are polymorphs of calcium carbonate.

Polymorphism

See also