A static variable, also referred to as a class variable, is a variable which exists across instances of a class.

The opposite of a static variable is an instance variable, which is a variable related to a single instance of a class. Each time an instance of a class is created, the system creates one copy of the instance variables related to that class.

By default, all variables are created as instance variables. To make a class variable, you must explicitly declare the variable static.

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