Class hierarchy
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As in taxonomy, the classifications of species, a class hiearchy in computer science is a classification of object types, denoting objects as the instantiations of classes (class is like a blueprint, the object is what is built from that blueprint) inter-relating the various objects by relationships such as "inherits", "extends", "is an abstraction of", "an interface". The relationships are specified in the science of object oriented design and object interface standards defined by popular use and standards committees for software design like the OMG.