Explain the difference between procedural language and object oriented programming language. What are the merits and demerits of object oriented methodologies?

Procedural Language:

1. Imperative Paradigm: Procedural languages follow the imperative programming paradigm, where the focus is on specifying a sequence of steps to be executed.
2. Emphasis on Functions: Procedural programs are organized into functions or procedures, each of which performs a specific task.
3. Data Manipulation: Procedural languages provide explicit statements for data manipulation, such as assignment, arithmetic operations, and loop control.
4. Global Scope: Variables and functions are declared and used globally, leading to potential name clashes and namespace issues.

Object-Oriented Programming Language:

1. Object-Oriented Paradigm: OOP languages adopt the object-oriented programming paradigm, where the focus is on objects and their interactions.
2. Encapsulation: Objects encapsulate data and behavior, bundling them together into a single entity.
3. Classes and Objects: OOP languages introduce the concepts of classes and objects. Classes define the structure and behavior of objects, while objects are instances of classes with their own set of data.
4. Inheritance: OOP languages support inheritance, allowing classes to inherit properties and behavior from parent classes, enabling code reusability and extensibility.
5. Polymorphism: OOP languages support polymorphism, where objects of different classes can respond to the same method call in different ways, depending on their specific implementation.

Merits of Object-Oriented Methodologies:

1. Modularity: OOP promotes modularity and code organization by grouping related data and behavior into objects.
2. Reusability: Inheritance allows classes and methods to be reused across different programs, reducing code duplication and development time.
3. Extensibility: Classes can be extended by creating subclasses, enabling the addition of new features without modifying existing code.
4. Maintainability: OOP programs are often easier to maintain and debug due to their modular structure and encapsulation of data.
5. Flexibility: OOP provides flexibility in modeling real-world entities and their interactions, making it suitable for a wide range of application domains.

Demerits of Object-Oriented Methodologies:

1. Complexity: OOP can introduce additional complexity compared to procedural programming, especially in large and complex systems.
2. Performance Overhead: Object creation and method calls can introduce performance overhead due to the additional layers of indirection.
3. Steep Learning Curve: Object-oriented programming concepts can be challenging for beginners to grasp, requiring a deeper understanding of object-oriented principles and design patterns.
4. Overuse of Inheritance: Excessive use of inheritance can lead to a deep inheritance hierarchy, making code harder to understand and maintain.
5. Memory Overhead: OOP programs often require more memory compared to procedural programs due to the presence of objects and their associated data structures.