A dependency between two or more classes, usually resulting from collaboration between the classes to provide a service Loose coupling is based on generic behavior and allows many different classes to be coupled in the same way Tight coupling is based on more specific implementation details of the participating classes and is not as flexible as loose coupling
Coupling arises when classes are aware of each of other because their instances must interact Linkage between two classes that may be either strong or weak Stronger coupling arises when one class has a detailed knowledge of the internal implementation of another, and is written to take advantage of that knowledge So anything that has the potential to reduce the amount of inside knowledge will tend to weaken coupling Hence, information hiding and encapsulation Java's visibility levels - private, package, protected, public - progressively reveal detail to other classes, and so increase the potential for stronger coupling Interfaces are one way to reduce to reduce coupling - because you interact with a class via an abstract definition, rather than a concrete implementation
The degree to which components depend on one another There are two types of coupling, "tight" and "loose" Loose coupling is desirable to support an extensible software architecture but tight coupling may be necessary for maximum performance Coupling is increased when the data exchanged between components becomes larger or more complex Contrast: cohesion
Part of the draw gear , device for connecting one vehicle to the next Couplings on goods wagons were simply three links of stout chain (vehicles so connected were termed “loose coupled” ) See also Instanter couplings Couplings on passenger rated stock were slightly more sophisticated, with the central link being replaced by a screw thread which enabled the coupling to be adjusted so as to keep the adjacent buffers in contact and under compression so as to avoid surging and oscillation
the act of pairing a male and female for reproductive purposes; "the casual couplings of adolescents"; "the mating of some species occurs only in the spring"
Device that serves to connect the ends of adjacent parts or objects A means of electric connection of two electric circuits by having a part common to both
Arrangement of wild-type and mutant alleles at two linked loci in which both mutants are on the same chromosome and both wild-type alleles on the homologue (ab/AB) See repulsion
The desirable or undesirable transfer of energy from one medium, such as a metallic wire or an optical fiber, to another like medium, including fortuitous transfer (188) Note: Examples of coupling include capacitive (electrostatic) coupling, inductive (magnetic) coupling, conducted (resistive or hard-wire) coupling, and fiber-optic coupling
In plumbing, a short collar with only inside threads at each end, for receiving the ends of two pipes which are to be fitted and joined together A right/left coupling is one used to join 2 gas pipes in limited space
A linkage between two parts of a program such that if one part of the program is modified, the behaviour of the other part may also be affected This can lead to maintenance problems
A device or contrivance which serves to couple or connect adjacent parts or objects; as, a belt coupling, which connects the ends of a belt; a car coupling, which connects the cars in a train; a shaft coupling, which connects the ends of shafts
Describes how strongly two classes are interdependent If one calls many of the other's methods, they are strongly coupled If there are few interactions between them, they are weakly coupled Good designs have weak coupling