Inductive vs Deductive Reasoning

This is a killer concept to keep straight.

In logic there are two ways we teach to reach a conclusion:  Inductively and Deductively.

Let me try an example to make the case between them.

Two people are debating about who the murderer is in a mystery novel.  The first one says, "I think the butler did it because the murder was done by someone left handed and he was the only left handed character."  He used logical principles to make an argument and reached a conclusion.  The second person reading the novel says, "I think the butler did it because it's always the butler."  He's reaching a conclusion by applying his knowledge of basic trends and patterns.

Realistically we tend mix these, using our past experiences (inductive) as the basis for a logical argument (deductive).

This is the kind of thing that can create lot of good dialogue at home about something very fundamental to our second BA test in Geometry.

Also posting similar examples in the comments here can earn students Brownie Points, if those examples do indeed illustrate cases of Inductive vs Deductive reasoning.