The Power of Encapsulation in Ruby: Understanding Object Attributes and Access Control

This topic gets right to the heart of object-oriented programming principles in Ruby!

What is Encapsulation?

Encapsulation is one of the core principles of object-oriented programming (OOP). It refers to the bundling of data (attributes) and the methods (behaviors) that operate on that data into a single unit, which is an “object.”

The primary goal of encapsulation is to:

1. Hide the internal state of an object from the outside world.
2. Control access to that state.
3. Prevent direct external manipulation of the object’s internal data, ensuring data integrity and consistency.

Think of it like a car: you interact with the steering wheel, accelerator, and brakes (methods), but you don’t directly manipulate the engine’s pistons or the transmission’s gears (internal state/data). The car’s internal mechanics are “encapsulated.”

How Encapsulation Works in Ruby

Ruby handles encapsulation somewhat differently than languages like Java or C++, but the principle is very much alive:

1. Instance Variables (@variable): In Ruby, instance variables (prefixed with…