Instantiating an interface

[Fantine Ponter]

Head First Java 2nd edition, on page 232, pool puzzle (page 234 puzzle solution).

My understanding of an abstract 'thing', is that it can never be instantiated.
All interfaces are implicitly public abstract.
An array is an object
'= new' means to instantiate an object

Please can someone explain how one can say the following when Nose is an interface?

 Nose[] i = new Nose[3];   

Here is the code that's pertinent to the question:

  
interface Nose
{
    public int iMethod();
}

abstract class Picasso implements Nose
{
    public int iMethod()
   {
        return 7;
   }
}

class Clowns extends Picasso
{}

public class Of76 extends Clowns
{
    public static void main(String [] args)
{
Nose[] i = new Nose[3];
.
.  
i[2] = new Of76();
.
.
.


  

[Rob Spoor]

Fantine Ponter wrote:Please can someone explain how one can say the following when Nose is an interface?

 Nose[] i = new Nose[3];   

You're not instantiating an interface - you are creating an array that can store objects of any class, as long as that class or one of its ancestor classes implements that interface. In your case it can contain both Picasso and Clown objects.

[Balu Sadhasivam]

Fantine Ponter wrote:
Please can someone explain how one can say the following when Nose is an interface?

   Nose[] i = new Nose[3];      

This is as similar to int[] a = new a[5]; , no way one can create a object for primitive type , its just creating array of int.

[Fantine Ponter]

Thanks Rob.

I've just found the answer myself, on page 207... oops! if only i would remember completely instead of partially.
"Don't panic. We're not making a new Animal object; we're making a new array object, of type Animal. (Remember, you cannot make a new instance of an abstract type, but you CAN make an array object declared to HOLD that type.)"

[Fantine Ponter]

Thanks Balu. I need to find a better rule in my head for '=new' and/or 'instantiate'.