The other day I was listening to National Public Radio's Car Talk, a popular weekly broadcast during which callers ask questions about their vehicles. Before every program break, the show's hosts ask callers to dial 1-800-CAR-TALK, which corresponds to 1-800-227-8255. Of course, the former proves much easier to remember than the latter, in part because the words "CAR TALK" are a composite: two words that represent seven digits. Humans generally find it easier to deal with composites, rather than their individual components. Likewise, when you develop object-oriented software, it's often convenient to manipulate composites just like you manipulate individual components. That premise represents the fundamental principle of the Composite design pattern, says David Geary in this JavaWorld article:
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