For many sixth-formers and undergraduates, the method of proof-by-induction seems to resemble nothing so much as a confidence trick. They appear to have little or no appreciation of the logical foundation of the method; frequently, they have been given a mysterious recipe which might just as easily be “eye of newt and toe of frog”. They slavishly follow the rules given and so it is little wonder that they are confused when, having been cajoled incessantly not to beg the question, they are now seemingly allowed to assume the answer. However, it is not my intention in this article to present yet another justification for the principle of mathematical induction, important as that might be; in any case, perfectly good articles on the subject have already appeared in the Gazette [1,2].