black box
Inputs, outputs, mystery
A black box is any device or system whose internal workings are hidden or unknown—you see inputs and outputs but not what happens inside.
The term comes from flight recorders on aircraft, which are actually bright orange but called black boxes because their contents remain sealed until investigation.
In computing and science, black box describes systems analyzed only by their behavior: The algorithm is a black box—we know what it produces but not how.
Black-box testing examines software without access to source code.
Aircraft data preservation device
- cockpit voice recorderDevice recording aircraft crew speech
- crash investigationAnalysis of collision causes
- NTSBFederal accident investigation agency
- wreckageDestroyed remains of something
air disaster · FDR · recovery · crash site · final moments · mayday · impact · fuselage
Impossible to account for
- inscrutableImpossible to understand
- uninterpretableImpossible to make sense of
- input-outputData transfer pathways
- neural networkInterconnected computational nodes mimicking cognition
deep learning · algorithmic bias · explainability · accountability · auditability · trust · interpretability · hidden layers
Restricted from disclosure
- confidentialMeant to stay secret
- hiddenKept out of sight
- covertIntentionally concealed
- undisclosedNot made known
proprietary · trade secret · need-to-know · restricted · sealed · inaccessible · opaque · concealed
Testing new methods
- intimateClosely personal or private
- studio theaterSmall-capacity performance space
- avant-gardeInnovative cultural pioneers
- fringeOutermost edge or margin
minimalist · bare stage · workshop · independent · small venue · immersive · site-specific
Monitoring medicines for harm
- adverse effectUnwanted harmful treatment outcome
- contraindicationReason to avoid treatment
- labelIdentifying attachment or marker
- pharmaceuticalManufactured medicinal compound
side effect · mortality · clinical trial · drug interaction · patient safety · regulatory
flight recorder
Aircraft data preservation device
- cockpit voice recorderDevice recording aircraft crew speech
- crash investigationAnalysis of collision causes
- NTSBFederal accident investigation agency
wreckage · air disaster · FDR · recovery · crash site · final moments · mayday · impact · fuselage · debris field
unexplainable
Impossible to account for
- inscrutableImpossible to understand
- uninterpretableImpossible to make sense of
- input-outputData transfer pathways
neural network · deep learning · algorithmic bias · explainability · accountability · auditability · trust · interpretability · hidden layers
classified
Restricted from disclosure
- confidentialMeant to stay secret
- hiddenKept out of sight
- covertIntentionally concealed
undisclosed · proprietary · trade secret · need-to-know · restricted · sealed · inaccessible · opaque · concealed · guarded
experimental
Testing new methods
- intimateClosely personal or private
- studio theaterSmall-capacity performance space
- avant-gardeInnovative cultural pioneers
fringe · minimalist · bare stage · workshop · independent · small venue · immersive · site-specific
drug safety
Monitoring medicines for harm
- adverse effectUnwanted harmful treatment outcome
- contraindicationReason to avoid treatment
- labelIdentifying attachment or marker
pharmaceutical · side effect · mortality · clinical trial · drug interaction · patient safety · regulatory
- aviation disastersplane crash, air crash, midair collision, crash landing, crash site
- aviation innovationjet engine, autopilot, radar, GPS, winglet
- Aviation Standardsairworthiness, annexes, air traffic control, flight operations, aircraft maintenance
- flight recordersflight data recorder, cockpit voice recorder, FDR
- aerospaceairplane, helicopter, rocket, rockets, spacecraft
- flightsdeparture, arrival, nonstop flight, boarding, connecting flight
black boxglass box
Transparent rigid container
white box · open book · transparent · interpretable · see-through
black, box, blacken, blackout, blackmail, blacklist, blackness, blacks, blackish