Operator overloading

Operator overloading lets a programming language define how operators such as + or == behave for user-defined types. It allows familiar notation to express operations on values beyond built-in types.

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Operator: A symbol or keyword that specifies an operation on one or more values. Overloading changes how selected operators act when their operands have user-defined types.
Complex number: A number composed of a real part and an imaginary part. Arithmetic operators let complex numbers use familiar expressions such as addition and multiplication.
C++: A general-purpose programming language that supports procedural, object-oriented, and generic programming. C++ permits extensive operator overloading, including user-defined meanings for many built-in operator symbols.
Abstraction: A way of representing essential features while suppressing implementation details. Operator notation abstracts away implementation calls, making custom operations resemble built-in ones.
Operator resolution: The process of selecting a meaning or implementation for an operator expression. Languages use resolution rules to choose an overloaded implementation from the operand types.
Matrix multiplication: An operation that combines matrices by multiplying rows of one by columns of another. A multiplication symbol can express matrix products when a library defines its meaning for matrix types.
Java: A class-based, statically typed programming language designed for broad portability. Java disallows user-defined operator overloading, though + has built-in meanings for numbers and strings.
Readability: The ease with which source code can be understood by its intended audience. Conventional operator meanings can make overloaded expressions concise, while unexpected meanings obscure intent.
Function overloading: A feature that allows multiple functions to share a name while differing in parameter types or counts. Many languages implement overloaded operators through functions selected by similar rules.
Vector space: A set whose elements support addition and scalar multiplication under specified rules. Overloaded arithmetic notation can make vector operations resemble their abstract algebraic definitions.