Python Object-Oriented Programming: Shape class with area and perimeter calculation

Last update on April 21 2025 13:02:39 (UTC/GMT +8 hours)

4. Shape Class with Subclasses for Different Shapes

Write a Python program to create a class that represents a shape. Include methods to calculate its area and perimeter. Implement subclasses for different shapes like circle, triangle, and square.

Sample Solution:

Python Code:

# Import the math module to access mathematical functions like pi
import math

# Define a base class called Shape to represent a generic shape with methods for calculating area and perimeter
class Shape:
    # Placeholder method for calculating area (to be implemented in derived classes)
    def calculate_area(self):
        pass

    # Placeholder method for calculating perimeter (to be implemented in derived classes)
    def calculate_perimeter(self):
        pass

# Define a derived class called Circle, which inherits from the Shape class
class Circle(Shape):
    # Initialize the Circle object with a given radius
    def __init__(self, radius):
        self.radius = radius

    # Calculate and return the area of the circle using the formula: π * r^2
    def calculate_area(self):
        return math.pi * self.radius**2

    # Calculate and return the perimeter of the circle using the formula: 2π * r
    def calculate_perimeter(self):
        return 2 * math.pi * self.radius

# Define a derived class called Rectangle, which inherits from the Shape class
class Rectangle(Shape):
    # Initialize the Rectangle object with given length and width
    def __init__(self, length, width):
        self.length = length
        self.width = width

    # Calculate and return the area of the rectangle using the formula: length * width
    def calculate_area(self):
        return self.length * self.width

    # Calculate and return the perimeter of the rectangle using the formula: 2 * (length + width)
    def calculate_perimeter(self):
        return 2 * (self.length + self.width)

# Define a derived class called Triangle, which inherits from the Shape class
class Triangle(Shape):
    # Initialize the Triangle object with a base, height, and three side lengths
    def __init__(self, base, height, side1, side2, side3):
        self.base = base
        self.height = height
        self.side1 = side1
        self.side2 = side2
        self.side3 = side3

    # Calculate and return the area of the triangle using the formula: 0.5 * base * height
    def calculate_area(self):
        return 0.5 * self.base * self.height

    # Calculate and return the perimeter of the triangle by adding the lengths of its three sides
    def calculate_perimeter(self):
        return self.side1 + self.side2 + self.side3

# Example usage
# Create a Circle object with a given radius and calculate its area and perimeter
r = 7
circle = Circle(r)
circle_area = circle.calculate_area()
circle_perimeter = circle.calculate_perimeter()

# Print the results for the Circle
print("Radius of the circle:", r)
print("Circle Area:", circle_area)
print("Circle Perimeter:", circle_perimeter)

# Create a Rectangle object with given length and width and calculate its area and perimeter
l = 5
w = 7
rectangle = Rectangle(l, w)
rectangle_area = rectangle.calculate_area()
rectangle_perimeter = rectangle.calculate_perimeter()

# Print the results for the Rectangle
print("\nRectangle: Length =", l, " Width =", w)
print("Rectangle Area:", rectangle_area)
print("Rectangle Perimeter:", rectangle_perimeter)

# Create a Triangle object with a base, height, and three side lengths, and calculate its area and perimeter
base = 5
height = 4
s1 = 4
s2 = 3
s3 = 5

# Print the results for the Triangle
print("\nTriangle: Base =", base, " Height =", height, " side1 =", s1, " side2 =", s2, " side3 =", s3)
triangle = Triangle(base, height, s1, s2, s3)
triangle_area = triangle.calculate_area()
triangle_perimeter = triangle.calculate_perimeter()
print("Triangle Area:", triangle_area)
print("Triangle Perimeter:", triangle_perimeter)

Sample Output:

Radius of the circle: 7
Circle Area: 153.93804002589985
Circle Perimeter: 43.982297150257104

Rectangle: Length = 5  Width = 7
Rectangle Area: 35
Rectangle Perimeter: 24

Triangle: Base = 5  Height = 4  side1 = 4  side2 = 3  side3 = 5
Triangle Area: 10.0
Triangle Perimeter: 12

Explanation:

In this above exercise,

we define a base class called Shape that provides the blueprint for other shapes. It includes two methods, calculate_area and calculate_perimeter, which are overridden by subclasses.
The Circle class is a subclass of Shape and includes logic designed to calculate the area and perimeter of a circle using the provided radius.
Rectangles, another subclass of Shape, include length and width attributes that enable them to calculate their area and perimeter.
The Triangle class is also a subclass of Shape and includes the necessary attributes (base, height, and side lengths) to calculate a triangle's area and perimeter.
In the example usage section, we create instances of each subclass and call the calculate_area and calculate_perimeter methods to obtain the area and perimeter values. The results are then printed.

Flowchart:

For more Practice: Solve these Related Problems:

Write a Python abstract base class Shape with abstract methods area() and perimeter(), and implement subclasses for Circle, Triangle, and Square.
Write a Python class hierarchy for shapes that includes a method to scale dimensions and recalculate area and perimeter.
Write a Python program that uses polymorphism to compute the total area of a mixed list of shapes.
Write a Python class for each shape that overrides the __str__ method to return a formatted string of its dimensions and computed area and perimeter.

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