Run-Time Dispatch

Although the compiler can determine whether or not an invocation is type-safe, it cannot necessarily determine exactly what code will execute. In particular, for a method call the compiler usually knows only the apparent type of the object from which the method is being selected, and not its actual type; the code to be executed is determined by the object's actual type, and the particular implementation used for that type. Therefore a method invocation may involve a runtime dispatch.

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