induction

C1 · Advanced Uncountable noun Mathematics Academic

n. a way of proving something is true by looking at specific examples and making a general rule.

n. the process of deriving general principles from particular facts or instances.

“In science, we use induction to create theories based on the patterns we observe.”

“Mathematical induction provides a rigorous method for proving that a statement holds for every natural number in an infinite sequence.”

C1 · Advanced Uncountable noun Science Technical

n. the way electricity or magnetism is created in an object without touching it.

n. the production of an electromotive force across an electrical conductor in a changing magnetic field.

“An induction cooker uses a magnetic field to heat the pan directly.”

“The transformer operates on the principle of mutual induction, transferring energy between circuits through a shared magnetic flux.”

C1 · Advanced Uncountable noun Medicine Technical

n. the medical process of starting a woman's labour to begin childbirth.

n. the artificial initiation of childbirth through the use of clinical intervention or medication.

“The doctor recommended an induction because the baby was two weeks late.”

“The clinical guidelines specify the conditions under which a medical induction is preferable to awaiting spontaneous labour.”

C2 · Proficiency Countable noun Theater Archaic · Literary

n. a formal introduction at the beginning of a book or play.

n. a preface or introductory scene in a literary work, especially in early modern drama.

“The old play began with a short induction where a character spoke to the audience.”

“Shakespeare's 'The Taming of the Shrew' features a famous induction in which a drunken tinker is tricked into believing he is a nobleman.”

C1 · Advanced Uncountable noun AI

n. the process of learning general rules or patterns by examining many specific examples.

n. the derivation of general predictive hypotheses or statistical representations from finite sets of observed training instances.

“Machine learning systems rely on induction to recognize handwriting after viewing thousands of sample letters.”

“Program induction algorithms search combinatorial spaces of candidate code snippets to satisfy user-provided input-output specifications.”