Theory to Toy Cases

Make the idea concrete before scaling it up.

Workflow

1. Restate the abstract claim in the smallest possible setting.
2. Build 2-5 minimal cases:
   • a friendly case where the idea should work
   • a boundary case
   • a failure case
   • a misleading case that appears to work for the wrong reason
3. If useful, write a tiny simulation or symbolic example.
4. Compare predicted behavior vs actual behavior.
5. Extract what the toy case teaches about the full problem.

Good toy cases