ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

inductive reasoning

Inductive reasoning is when we use information we already know about something to come up with a new idea or conclusion. It's like detective work. For example, if you saw paw prints from a small dog and heard barking from a small dog, you might use inductive reasoning to guess that a small dog is nearby. You looked at evidence that you already knew and used it to make a new guess.