The term 'preliminary' can refer to a variety of different concepts, including a PRELUDE, EXPERIMENTAL, INDUCTIVE, PREFACE, INITIATORY, PREAMBLE, PILOT, INITIAL, ANTECEDENT, INTRODUCTION, EARLIER, PRECEDING, FIRST, INTRODUCTORY, and PREPARATORY. A PRELUDE is an INTRODUCTORY piece of music, while EXPERIMENTAL refers to something that is done as a test or trial. INDUCTIVE is the process of reasoning from specific facts to a general conclusion, while a PREFACE is an INTRODUCTORY section of a book. INITIATORY is related to initiation, which is the act of beginning something, and a PREAMBLE is an INTRODUCTORY statement. A PILOT is someone who operates an aircraft, while INITIAL refers to the FIRST letter of a name. ANTECEDENT is something that happened before, while an INTRODUCTION is an opening statement. EARLIER is used to describe something that happened before, while PRECEDING is something that comes before. FIRST is used to describe something that happens before all others, while INTRODUCTORY is used to describe something that introduces a topic. Finally, PREPARATORY is used to describe something that is done in preparation for something else.