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<a name="conversion.polymorphic_casts"></a><a class="link" href="polymorphic_casts.html" title="Polymorphic casts">Polymorphic casts</a>
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<p>
      Pointers to polymorphic objects (objects of classes which define at least one
      virtual function) are sometimes downcast or crosscast. Downcasting means casting
      from a base class to a derived class. Cros