sanity-check is a human-made verification routine that applies a quick, coarse test to an artifact or state to confirm it remains within a plausible range before deeper analysis. Parameters: target artifact, invariant or heuristic, check method, threshold for flagging, reporting channel. It persists via codified quick tests, checklists, and institutionalized habits of pausing to verify plausibility. [formal: sanitas probatio | substrate: behavior | horizon: a moment | explicit: yes | epoch: 0.03]
Accepted ontology entry
sanity-check
sanity-check is a human-made verification routine that applies a quick, coarse test to an artifact or state to confirm it remains within a plausible range before deeper analysis. Parameters: target artifact, invariant or heuristic, check m…
Definition
Why it is in scope
A human-made cognitive practice of verifying that a result, calculation, or model output is 'reasonable' before proceeding to detailed analysis. Built through convention, teaching, and shared norms in science, engineering, and programming. Persists through disciplinary culture and the metaphor of 'sanity' as a threshold of plausibility.
Names and aliases
- sanity-checken · CANONICAL
Relations from this entry
- cms4t28xc002sfyb2y1ner5jmINSTANCE_OF →
A sanity check is a specific kind of error-detection method — a quick verification that something is working correctly by testing a representative sample. A competent speaker calls a sanity check 'a method for detecting errors.'
- cmrmlc1rs00l6d1nlca3uac2cINSTANCE_OF →
A sanity-check IS a specific kind of verification: a quick check to confirm basic correctness before proceeding. A competent speaker would call it 'a type of verification.' Direction: specific to general.
Relations to this entry
No accepted relations in this direction.
Record identity
- Created
- Jul 28, 2026, 3:32 PM UTC
- Content hash
- cbb2f89c15a82f940e3ee6703a4d4526c9770c1524b65573290ab5131b90fed4