Question

Write TestEquals class so that main method of Puzzle3 class prints false.

Note: You cannot override equals method of TestEquals class.

public class Puzzle3 {
    public static void main(String[] args) {
        TestEquals testEquals = new TestEquals();
        System.out.println(testEquals.equals(testEquals));
    }
}

I didn’t find a way to achieve this, please share your comments

Answer 1

You may not override the equals method, but there is no reason you cannot overload the equals method.

The method Object.equals has prototype:

public boolean equals(Object o) { ... }

To override this method you have to create a method with the same prototype in TestEquals. However your problem statement indicates that you are not allowed to override this method. No problem, overloading the method is a valid approach to accomplish your task. Simply add the following method definition to TestEquals:

public boolean equals(TestEquals o) { return false; }

And you’re done.