What is an object?A programming representation of a physical thingThe data about a programAn instance of a classThe executable process in a class

An object in programming is an instance of a class. It is a fundamental concept in object-oriented programming. Objects are a way to group related data and functions that operate on that data into a single entity. They can represent physical entities, like a car or a person, or abstract concepts, like a bank account or a date.

Here's a step-by-step explanation:

1. In object-oriented programming, a class is like a blueprint for creating objects. A class defines the properties (data) and methods (functions) that an object can have.

2. An object is an instance of a class. When a class is defined, no memory is allocated but when it is instantiated (i.e., an object is created) memory is allocated.

3. The data of an object is represented by attributes or variables, and the functions are represented by methods. For example, a car object might have attributes like color and model, and methods like start and stop.

4. Each object has its own copy of the data, and methods defined in the class can access and modify this data.

5. Objects can interact with each other by calling each other's methods. For example, a car object might have a method called 'crashInto' that takes another car object as a parameter.

So, in summary, an object is a programming representation of a physical thing or an abstract concept, and it is an instance of a class. It is not the data about a program or the executable process in a class.