The document discusses inductive reasoning, which involves arriving at a conclusion based on observations and facts without direct proof. It defines strong and weak inductions, providing examples of each. Strong inductions are more likely to be true while weak inductions can be proven false. Inductive reasoning is used in everyday conversations, scientific theories, and mathematics by making educated guesses based on available evidence and observations.

1. Inductive Reasoning
by: Kathryn Ecoff

2. What is Inductive Reasoning?
• Inductive Reasoning is arriving at a
conclusion on the basis of principle facts
that can guide you to the conclusion.
• It also can be called an educated guess.
• Inductive reasoning suggests the truth
about a statement but does not directly
prove the statement.
• This type of reasoning is mainly based
on observations.

3. Strong Induction
• Strong Induction is when you decide to
believe the conclusion is true based on
the evidence.
• The conclusion of strong inductions is
usually likely to be true.
• For a statement to be a strong induction,
it has to be logical, and have some sort
of evidence.

4. Examples of Strong Induction
• All the tigers observed in a particular
region have black stripes, therefore all
the tigers native to this region have
black stripes.
• This is a strong induction because it has
not been proven false yet, based on
observations taken.

5. Weak Induction
• A weak induction is when your particular
view on something does not allow you
to see that the conclusion is likely given
the evidence.
• Weak inductions tend to be false, or
based on very limited examples or facts.
• Weak inductions are usually based on a
person’s experiences or observations,
and is likely able to be proven false.

6. Examples of Weak Induction
• I always hang pictures on nails,
therefore all pictures hang from nails.
• This is a weak induction because not
every picture is hung from a nail, and
not everybody hangs pictures from nails,
so it can be proven false.

7. Real World Connections
• Inductive reasoning can be used during everyday
conversations. Examples:
• Every cat I have seen has a tail, so all cats have
tails.
• This is a strong induction because it has not yet
been proven false. Another example:
• Everybody I know has been to McDonald’s, so
everyone has been to McDonald’s.
• This is a weak induction, because there are some
people who have never been to McDonald’s.

8. Real World Connections
• Inductive reasoning is mainly used when proving
theories or statements.
• All swans are white based on all available
observations of swans.
• This specific conclusion was overturned when black
swans were discovered, so this theory was eventually
proved false, even though at one point it was true.
• Newton’s laws of motion are examples of this type of
reasoning.
• An object in motion continues with the same speed and
direction unless acted upon by an unbalanced force.

9. Real World Connections
• Inductive reasoning is also used during
math.
• The spinner has landed on the color blue
the past three times, so blue is the color
spun the most.
• Inductive reasoning is based on
observations in math.