Reverse thinking means that when a problem is solved with common sense, it can be solved better and more efficiently by using the opposite method. For example, in the past, it was extremely troublesome to open the lid and pour the wine, which affected the quality of the wine. Someone invented the faucet under the bucket, which can better solve the problem of drinking and maintenance. This is reverse thinking.
Reduction to absurdity is an indirect mathematical proof method, that is, if a problem cannot be proved from the front, it will lead to a wrong conclusion to judge the authenticity of the original proposition. If the known wrong conclusion contradicts the original proposition, the original proposition is proved to be correct (law of excluded middle). If two straight lines are parallel, the direct proof method is to find two parallel straight lines according to the topic, and the reduction to absurdity is to assume that the two straight lines are not parallel, so what kind of result will be produced? This result is fundamentally contradictory to the topic, and the proof is over.
From the above, we can see that reduction to absurdity and reverse thinking are related to some extent, but they are different concepts in two different fields and cannot be confused.