In science fiction, a shrink ray is any device which uses energy to reduce the physical size of matter.
Science fiction writer and polymath Isaac Asimov wrote:[1] Miniaturization doesn't actually make sense unless you miniaturize the very atoms which build up matter.
Otherwise a tiny brain in a human the size of an insect, composed of normal atoms, is composed of too few atoms for the miniaturized human to be any more intelligent than the insect.
It may be impossible for a one-inch high human to kill themselves in a fall of any conceivable height,[2] but they may be able to drown themselves with a single drop of water.
The term "grocery shrink ray" has been used to describe a manufacturer decreasing the amount of product in a package while keeping the package price the same, as a scheme to implement a hidden price increase.