An Etymological Dictionary of Astronomy and Astrophysics
English-French-Persian

A procedure by which the presence, quality, or genuineness of anything is determined.

M.E. test, originally "a small vessel for refining or assaying metals," from O.Fr. test, from L. testum "earthen pot," related to testa "piece of burned clay, earthen pot, shell," related to texere "to weave;" → technique.

Âzmun, from âzmudan, âzmây- "to try, experiment, test;" Mid.Pers. uzmudan, ôzmutan "to test, try, prove;" from O.Pers./Av. *uz-mây-, from uz-, → ex-, + mť(y)- "to measure;" from PIE *me- "measure;" cf. Skt. mati "measures," matra "measure;" Gk. metra "lot, portion;" L. metri "to measure."

Any of a pair of identical 1.96 kg gold-platinum cubes measuring 4.6 cm on a side that are planned to be used in the → eLISA experiment to detect → gravitational waves. The test masses will be released in → free fall in the the → LISA Pathfinder spacecraft. The aim is to test methods and techniques that will be used in the eLISA experiment to detect gravitational waves. Even in space there are forces capable of disturbing the cubes, including the radiation and wind from the Sun. Hence the test masses need be isolated from all of these non-gravitational influences. To do so, LISA Pathfinder continually measures their positions and manoeuvres around them with microthrusters to avoid ever touching them.

→ test; → mass

Same as → significance testing and → rule of decision.

→ test; → significance.

In → plasma physics, → fluid dynamics, and → self-gravitating systems, a particle or ensemble of particles which are affected by the evolution of the rest of the system, but do not affect the rest of the system. The test particle concept is used, e.g., for revealing a flow, describing the path of fluid elements, and so on.

→ test; → particle.

That part of the working time of a telescope devoted to tests of coupled instruments or the telescope itself.

→ test; → time.

The state or fact of being → testable. See also → falsifiability.

→ testable; → -ity.

The quality of a claim, hypothesis, or theory that can be verified by tests or experiments. See also → falsifiable.

→ test; → -able.

A test for uniform convergence of a sequence of functions. If there exists a series of numbers Σ M_i (summed from n = 1 to ∞), in which M_i≥ Σ |u_i(x)| for all x in the interval [a, b] and Σ M_i is convergent, the series u_i(x) will be uniformly convergent in that interval.

→ Weierstrass approximation theorem; M referring to → majorant; → test.