Reduktie

Reduktie is a Dutch term that denotes reduction and is used across several disciplines to describe a process of making something smaller, simpler, or in chemistry a gain of electrons. The central idea is a change toward a reduced or more basic state, but the exact meaning varies by field.

In chemistry, reduction refers to the gain of electrons by a chemical species, accompanied by a decrease in its oxidation state. It occurs in redox reactions together with oxidation, where one species is oxidized as another is reduced. Reducing agents supply electrons. A classic example is the reduction of iron(III) oxide by carbon or hydrogen to produce iron and water or carbon dioxide. Redox chemistry underpins many industrial processes, metabolism, and energy transfer in cells.

In mathematics and computer science, reduction describes a method of transforming one problem into another. This can be used to prove equivalence of problem difficulty or to transfer algorithmic solutions. A problem A is reduced to problem B if every instance of A can be efficiently converted into an instance of B such that solving B yields a solution to A. Reductions are central to complexity theory and the study of decidability. Dimension reduction, a related concept in data analysis, aims to reduce the number of random variables under consideration while preserving essential structure.

In everyday language, reduktie can also refer to decreases or cuts in quantity, cost, or intensity, such as budget reductions or price reductions. The term thus spans concrete scientific processes and more general notions of simplification or diminishment. See also redox reactions, complexity reductions, and dimension reduction.