What is method hiding in Java?

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Method hiding in Java occurs when a static method in a child class has the same name and parameters as a static method in its parent class. When this happens, the static method in the child class hides the one in the parent class. This means that the method invoked is determined by the reference type, rather than the object type.

In Java, static methods belong to the class, rather than instances of the class. Therefore, even if an instance of the child class is created, if the method is called using a reference of the parent class type, the parent class method will be invoked. This behavior is different from method overriding, which pertains to instance methods, allowing polymorphism where the method called is determined by the object instance rather than the reference type.

Understanding this concept is crucial because it has implications for how code behaves with respect to method resolution at compile-time versus runtime, an essential aspect of object-oriented programming in Java.