| 1. | any unit that forms part of an electronic circuit and that has its function, but not its components, specified. |
| 2. | any comparatively small, usually black, box containing a secret, mysterious, or complex mechanical or electronic device. |
| 3. | Aeronautics. an electronic device, such as a flight recorder, that can be removed from an aircraft as a single package. |
| 4. | Automotive. a device in an electronic ignition system that generates electrical pulses. |
| black box n.
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| flight recorder n. A crashworthy device that records data about an aircraft's flight, such as airspeed, heading, and the procedures of the pilot. Also called black box. |
A crash-resistant steel container that holds instruments that record performance data in airplanes. The data are used to analyze the causes of accidents.
black box jargon
An abstraction of a device or system in which only its externally visible behaviour is considered and not its implementation or "inner workings".
See also functional testing.
(1997-07-03)
