ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Reduction to practice

Reduction to practice is like when you have an idea for a cool toy that you want to make, but you have to actually make it and see if it works before you can play with it. It's the process of taking an idea or concept and turning it into something real that you can use or see in the real world.

Think of it like making a cake. You have a recipe (the idea) and you gather all the ingredients (the materials) that you need to make the cake. Then you follow the recipe step by step (the process) until you have a finished cake (the product). If the cake comes out the way you wanted it to (it works), then you have successfully reduced your idea of making a cake into an actual cake that you can enjoy.

In science and technology, reduction to practice means taking an idea for a new invention or process, and developing and testing it so that it can be used in the real world. It involves creating a prototype or a test version of your idea to see if it works as intended. This might involve building a physical model, running experiments, or testing it in the field. Once you have successfully demonstrated that your idea works, you have reduced it to practice and can start using it for practical purposes.

So, reduction to practice is the process of turning an idea into something real that you can use or see in the real world, through a series of steps that involve gathering materials, following a process, and testing it to see if it works.