type casting issue with int in java

Question

Trying to pass a java test I faced the following question

class A {
    int f() { return 1; }
}
class B extends A {
    int f() { return 2; }
}
class C extends B {
    int f() { return 3; }
    int test() { 
        return super.f() +
               ((A)this).f();
    }
}

Can't figure out why ((A)this).f() returns 3 but not 1?

Answer 1

This is dynamic dispatch , the static type of the object ( (A)this , which is A ) does not matter, only the dynamic type , and that is C .

Similarly, if you do

A a = this;
a.f();

The same value (3) will be returned.