jäsenmuuttujat

Jäsenmuuttujat, also known as member variables or data members, are variables declared within a class or structure. They represent the state or attributes of an object created from that class. In object-oriented programming, when an object is instantiated, it possesses its own distinct copy of each non-static member variable. This allows individual objects to hold and manage their unique data. Static member variables, on the other hand, are shared among all instances of a class, meaning there is only one copy of the variable that all objects access.

The scope of a member variable is typically limited to the class in which it is declared, though access specifiers like public, private, and protected can further control its visibility and accessibility from outside the class. Private members are only accessible within the class itself, promoting encapsulation and data hiding. Public members can be accessed from anywhere, while protected members are accessible within the class and by its derived classes. The use of member variables is fundamental to defining the behavior and characteristics of objects.