How does object-oriented programming help organize large computer programs?

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Object-oriented programming manages the complexity of large software systems by utilizing modular units, primarily objects and classes, to improve maintainability and development speed.1

This organizational approach relies on several key principles:

Information Hiding: Objects encapsulate data and their associated operations, exposing only necessary interfaces while keeping internal structures private. This allows developers to focus on individual program components in isolation.1
Modularity: By packaging data and behavior together, the code becomes easier to manage and update.1
Inheritance: Developers can create specialized objects derived from more general ones. This hierarchy allows new objects to inherit existing capabilities, eliminating the need to rewrite code and reducing redundancy.1

By treating a program as a collection of interacting objects, programmers can structure large-scale systems more logically and efficiently.1