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Examples of inductive reasoning


Examples of inductive reasoning are numerous. Lots of IQ or intelligence tests are based on inductive reasoning. Patterns and inductive reasoning are closely related.

Find here a couple of good examples of inductive reasoning that will really help you understand inductive reasoning

But what is inductive reasoning?

Inductive reasoning is making conclusions based on patterns you observe.

The conclusion you reach is called a conjecture

Shapes and inductive reasoning:


Example #1:

Look carefully at the following figures. Then, use inductive reasoning to make a conjecture about the next figure in the pattern

inductive-image



If you have carefully observed the pattern, may be you came up with the figure below:

inductive-image



Example #2:

Look at the patterns below. Can you draw the next figure or next set of dots using inductive reasoning?

inductive-image



The trick is to see that one dot is always placed between and above two dots. Also, the next figure always has one more dot at the very bottom row

keeping this in mind, your next figure should look like this:

inductive-image



Other examples of inductive reasoning: Integers and inductive reasoning


Example #3:

Take a look at this table that shows multiplication as repeated addtion:

Multiplication               Repeated addition              Sum

     4 × -2                            -2 + -2 + -2 + -2                   - 8

     3 × -7                                 -7 + -7 + -7                     - 21

     5 × -6                          -6 + -6 + -6 + -6 + -6             - 30

What do you notice about the signs of the sums?

Since the sum is always negative, the pattern suggests that the product of a positive integer and a negative integer is negative

Example #4:

Look at the following patterns:

3 × -4 = -12

2 × -4 = -8

1 × -4 = -4

0 × -4 = 0

-1 × -4 = 4

-2 × -4 = 8

-3 × -4 = 12

Every time the factor on the left is decreased by 1, the answer is increased by 4

However, the pattern suggests that a negative times a negative is a positive

I hope these examples of inductive reasoning were not complicated.


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