In Java, classes and objects are fundamental concepts of object-oriented programming. A class serves as a blueprint for creating objects, encapsulating data for the object and methods to manipulate that data. Essentially, a class defines the properties (attributes) and behaviors (methods) that the objects created from the class will have.

An object, on the other hand, is an instance of a class. It represents a real-world entity with specific states and behaviors. For example, if you have a class called “Car,” an object of that class could be a specific car with attributes like color, model, and year, and methods like drive() and stop() ²⁵.

To create an object in Java, you typically use the new keyword followed by the class constructor. For instance, Car myCar = new Car(); creates a new instance of the Car class.

Understanding these concepts is crucial for effective programming in Java, as they allow for better organization and modularity in code ¹⁴.