Definitions

Some of these definitions are particular to software engineering, especially the contradictory definitions of fault in computer science and electrical engineering (see below).

An error is a design flaw, or deviation from the intended state

A failure has occured if the system hasnt performed in some subset of the specified environmental conditions

In Computer Science, a fault is produced by an error which in turn produces a failure. Whereas in electrical engineering an error produces a failure which produces a fault.

Reliability is measure as the "mean time to failure"

An accident is an unintended event that results in a specific level of loss

A hazard is a set of conditions on the system, if occur with certain environmental conditions (ie a failure), will lead to an accident.

The risk is the probability of a hazard and its severity combined with the exposure (ie how likely the hazard is to cause an accident)

Safety relates to freedom from accidents

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Software_Engineering/Definitions.htm was last modified on 2006-12-18 06:31:24