Inductive vs Deductive Reasoning

Alice is going to the emergency room because she has fractured her arm. Bone fractures are always painful. Therefore, Alice is in pain.

• Inductive Reasoning

• Deductive Reasoning

The last 10 windstorms in this area has come from the north and been preceded by a cloud of dust. I can see a big cloud of dust in the distance; so, a new windstorm is probably coming from the north.

• Inductive Reasoning

• Deductive Reasoning

The chair in the living room is red. The chair in the dining room is red. The chair in the bedroom is red. All chairs in the house are red.

• Inductive Reasoning

• Deductive Reasoning

Two-thirds of the students at this college receive student aid. Therefore, two-thirds of all college students receive student aid.

• Inductive Reasoning

• Deductive Reasoning

Since all squares are rectangles, and all rectangles have four sides, all squares have four sides.

• Inductive Reasoning

• Deductive Reasoning

A chemistry experiment produces the same result 20 times. You conclude that it will always produce the same result.

• Inductive

• Deductive

Tim is Veronica's cousin. Since David is Veronica's twin brother, Tim is also David's cousin.

• Inductive

• Deductive

Given the sequence 19, 23, 27, and 31 you conclude that the next term will be 35.

• Inductive

• Deductive

All of the people that you met in town are very strange. You conclude that everyone in town is very strange.

• Inductive

• Deductive

Julie notices that each term in the sequence 1, 3, 9, 27, ... Is found by multiplying the previous term by three. She concludes that the next two terms are 81 and 243.

• Inductive

• Deductive