backwardreasoning
nounBackward reasoning is thinking from the answer back to the start to figure out how to get there.
Using backward reasoning, she started with the final number and worked out what the first number must have been.
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OTHER MEANINGS
2. A problem-solving method in which you begin with the goal and trace steps back to the starting conditions.
The robot used backward reasoning to plan its path from the goal to its current position.
3. In logic and math, deriving earlier statements from a conclusion to check whether the conclusion holds.
The proof relied on backward reasoning, starting from the theorem and reducing it to known facts.
4. In artificial intelligence, a search strategy that works from a goal back toward known facts.
The expert system applied backward reasoning to decide which questions to ask next.
5. Everyday thinking that starts from a desired result and figures out what must have happened before.
By backward reasoning, the detective guessed the thief must have entered through the window.