Why can a Java static method call a constructor, but not refer to this?

Question

My Assumptions:

1. Static method cannot cannot call non-static methods.
2. Constructors are kind of a method with no return type.

Answer 1

1 - Static method cannot cannot call non-static methods.

Sure they can, but they need an object to call the method on.

In a static method, there's no this reference available, so foo() (which is equivalent to this.foo()) is illegal.

2 - Constructors are kind of a method with no return type.

If they should be compared to methods, I would say constructors are closer to non-static methods (since there is indeed a this reference inside a constructor).

Given this view, it should be clear to you why a static method can call a constructor without any problems.

---

So, to sum it up:

Main p = new Main();

is okay, since new Main() does not rely on any existing object.

k();

is not okay since it is equivalent to this.k() and this is not available in your (static) main method.