Abstract :
In science, computing, and engineering,
a black box is a device, system or object which can be viewed in terms of its
inputs and outputs (or transfer characteristics), without any knowledge of its
internal workings. Its implementation is "opaque" (black). Almost
anything might be referred to as a black box: a transistor, algorithm, or the
human brain.
The opposite of a black box is a system
where the inner components or logic are available for inspection, which is most
commonly referred to as a white box (sometimes also known as a "clear
box" or a "glass box").
Often one of the first pieces of
techno-speak that springs to mind when we hear of an aviation disaster - and a
catch-all phrase popular with the media - is ‘Black Box,’ but how much do you
really know about these vital pieces of equipment?
Any commercial aeroplane or corporate
jet is required to be equipped with a cockpit voice recorder and a flight data
recorder. It is these two items of separate equipment which we commonly refer
to as a ‘Black Box.’ While they do nothing to help the plane when it is in the
air, both these pieces of equipment are vitally important should the plane
crash, as they help crash investigators find out what happened just before the
crash.
Often, for example when a plane crashes
into the sea, as happened with the 1985 bombing of Air India flight 182 by Sikh
terrorists over the Atlantic Ocean just west of Ireland, investigators have
very little to go on – on this specific occasion the plane crashed before the
pilot could even issue a mayday signal and much of the debris sank into the
sea, leaving few clues.
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