Creduction

Creduction is a neologism that appears in a small body of contemporary literature to denote a process of reducing the complexity or scope of a system while preserving its essential characteristics. Because it is not a widely standardized term, its exact definition and scope vary across disciplines.

In mathematics and computer science, creduction may refer to contraction-like operations that simplify a structure without severing key invariants. For example, in graph theory or network modeling, a creduction step might merge selected nodes or remove redundant edges to produce a smaller, more tractable representation that preserves connectivity or other properties under study. In model order reduction and data processing, creduction can describe a deliberate reduction of state space or data size intended to retain the behavior of interest.

In cognitive science, design, and creative workflows, creduction can describe the deliberate simplification of concepts, processes, or artifacts to core elements. This usage emphasizes reducing cognitive load or decision fatigue by focusing on essential features and omitting peripheral details.

Applications attributed to creduction thus span data compression, network analysis, and workflow optimization, where the goal is to obtain a smaller or simpler representation that remains faithful to the original system’s critical aspects. The term’s lack of a single, formal definition means practitioners should closely specify the exact operation, invariants preserved, and methods used when employing creduction in research or practice.

See also: reduction, contraction, graph contraction, model order reduction, data compression, coarsening.