What is Testing: Definition and 631 Discussions

A test or examination (informally, exam or evaluation) is an educational assessment intended to measure a test-taker's knowledge, skill, aptitude, physical fitness, or classification in many other topics (e.g., beliefs). A test may be administered verbally, on paper, on a computer, or in a predetermined area that requires a test taker to demonstrate or perform a set of skills.
Tests vary in style, rigor and requirements. There is no general consensus or invariable standard for test formats and difficulty. Often, the format and difficulty of the test is dependent upon the educational philosophy of the instructor, subject matter, class size, policy of the educational institution, and requirements of accreditation or governing bodies.
A test may be administered formally or informally. An example of an informal test is a reading test administered by a parent to a child. A formal test might be a final examination administered by a teacher in a classroom or an IQ test administered by a psychologist in a clinic. Formal testing often results in a grade or a test score. A test score may be interpreted with regards to a norm or criterion, or occasionally both. The norm may be established independently, or by statistical analysis of a large number of participants.
A test may be developed and administered by an instructor, a clinician, a governing body, or a test provider. In some instances, the developer of the test may not be directly responsible for its administration. For example, Educational Testing Service (ETS), a nonprofit educational testing and assessment organization, develops standardized tests such as the SAT but may not directly be involved in the administration or proctoring of these tests.

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  1. CPW

    B Radon testing my first basement (already has a mitigation system)

    Hi PF: The house my wife and I purchased recently is our first one with a basement and it already has a radon mitigation system installed. Unfinished basement. I've sent my short-term test to the lab and I have a long-term test that I intend to start this week. Do any PF members have any...
  2. S

    Light testing for leaks in a thin metallic membrane

    We have a small (15 X 25mm), thin membrane (0.03mm thick) that we currently inspect for pinholes and small cracks manually by backlighting and inspecting under magnification, one at a time. Does anyone know of an instrument that can do this inspection for us, with a high degree of accuracy?
  3. S

    Testing username link using the "@"

    This post is just a test. Some usernames of members are made of two or more "words" separated with one or more spaces. The symbol @ has been used as a link to profile page for the named member, but not clear if the spaces interfere with this link expressiveness. @membername1234 @membername...
  4. diegzumillo

    WHAM implementation and testing

    Hey all I implemented WHAM to analyze my monte carlo simulations but I am always suspicious that it's not working properly. It gives results that makes sense most of the time but not always. The problem is that all I used is the original paper by Ferrenberg and Swendsen . I have no way of...
  5. G

    Power supply for testing: Variac or isolation transformer first?

    This is for safely powering up devices being tested/repaired. Supply is 240V rms single phase, protected by 32A MCB and 30 mA RCD/GFCI, then fused at 13A. There doesn’t seem to be a consensus online, and my EE and repair books just say I need both, without specifying order. I think the...
  6. mfb

    SpaceX Starship (/Super Heavy) testing: Mk1 stacked, 20 km flight this year

    Previously discussed in the "Space Stuff" thread but this is a long-term project. What is Starship? SpaceX is working on a fully reusable two-stage rocket to replace the partially reusable Falcon 9/Falcon Heavy. It is the largest rocket that made it beyond the concept phase so far; the payload...
  7. W

    What condition is this code testing for (Python 3.7)

    Hi, I am taching myself Python 3.7.2. I think I get how 'While True' statements work, but I am having trouble making sense of this. The program runs, but I would like to understand well what is the condition being tested. (From 'Automate the Boring Stuff with Python) We have a dictionary of...
  8. A

    Older electrolytic capacitor testing

    So some time ago I got a bunch of electrolytic caps from a friend of mine who works at a local university experimental laboratory, the caps have been in good storage (temperature etc) they were sitting some while in my room and now I finally decided to see whether they are still any good. Some...
  9. A

    What are the materials and methods for testing plastic levels in water?

    On wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iron(III)_chloride) it says: The ferric chloride test is a traditional colorimetric test for phenols, which uses a 1% iron(III) chloride solution that has been neutralised with sodium hydroxide until a slight precipitate of FeO(OH) is formed.[26] The...
  10. F

    Vibration testing on shaker - High amplitude observed

    Hello everyone, I wanted to gather opinion from anyone experienced in vibration regarding one of test fixtures I have created for small satellites. The image below shows the Test-POD that I am testing on a single axis shaker. In one of the tests, I had troubles that the amplitude got higher than...
  11. Magnetosphere

    Simple method for testing graphene

    I saw this video for testing whether one has graphene or graphite and was wondering about the authenticity of the method. By mixing 50%h2o and 50%gasoline the graphene should separate/settle in between the two within a second after shaking. Here are some pictures of my own experiment before...
  12. R

    I Multiple hypothesis testing for radar tracking in clutter

    Hello All, The goal is to formulate a multiple hypothesis test for a radar tracking problem when false alarms are occurring and to apply a particle filter on this update step, however I first need to come to/understand the multiple hypothesis formulation in this problem. Say we are interested...
  13. F

    I Hypothesis Testing with Bayes

    My example question is as below. The question is wordy and hard to wrap your head around but I completely understand what it is asking, I just have no idea how to go about it, or where to start. I have spent hours scratching my head on this one! We have been taught two methods of Bayesian...
  14. W

    I Testing Inflation: A Definitive Test & Laymen Explanation

    A new paper has recently popped up claiming it is possible to make a more definitive test of inflation versus certain alternatives like the matter bounce or ekpyrotic universe. https://arxiv.org/pdf/1809.02603.pdf I was wondering what people thought of it. Any good laymen explanation of what is...
  15. M

    How to calculate the deceleration of the object

    Hi, i am trying to understand, how to calculate the deceleration of the object? I have a small toy car in the track, after i release the car, i want to calculate the deceleration of the car, and predict how many loops, it's going to do, after measuring the timing of some revolutions. Is there...
  16. G

    Is My Pramac GSL30 Generator Dead? Testing and Identifying Coil Connections

    A mate of mine has bought a Pramac GSL30 generator (30kVA) ‘as seen’, and of course there is no output. Inside the connection box of the Stamford alternator unit, someone has been fiddling - the output wires have been disconnected and taped, and the AVR has also been unplugged. Now, it’s a...
  17. Death eater

    Theories of failure and tensile testing

    Why theories of failure have been developed from 1-D tensile testing. Why can't we go 2-D testing or 3-D testing?
  18. adamaero

    TTL, voltage, one-wire test rig

    Spec My job, as an undergraduate EE student, is to create a test rig for offsite electronics (environmental sensors hooked up to a data logger, 12V batteries and solar panels). The test rig should be able to evaluate output from sensors (serial TTL, analog voltage, 1-wire) and output required...
  19. P

    Do you think my dog has wolf blood in her (DNA testing)

    My supposed malamute/golden eyes (75-25%) Wolf eyes... My dog again.. She exhibits several signs of characteristic wolf behavior including hypersensitivity to stimulus, is extremely skittish etc Would you bet she has 5-10% actual wolf blood in her when the results are in?
  20. berkeman

    Inexpensive MODBUS devices for system testing

    Does anybody know of inexpensive MODBUS devices that we can purchase for some medium-scale compatibility testing with a new controller that we are building? There are some moderately expensive products from Schneider Electric, but we're hoping to find some more "jellybean" products that we can...
  21. M

    B Testing spacetime collapse at absolute zero

    The other day I was pondering what happens at/near absolute zero so I did some googling and found articles talking about how it has been demonstrate that as you near absolute zero, the quantum effect start to have an increased range. However, is seems that perhaps the quantum effects only get...
  22. jamalkoiyess

    Testing Overcoming Exam Anxiety: Tips for Staying Focused and Calm

    Hello there, I am having a problem to solve in exams. I think it's because am freezing but that's just a speculation. I am a physics-math junior and I study really well, solve without looking at solutions and focus and understand the material. Yet whenever I enter an exam I can always solve the...
  23. qspeechc

    Sacks' Autistic Twins and Prime Testing

    Hello everyone. [Firstly, I didn't know if this belongs here or in General; please move if appropriate]. <Moderator's note: moved to GD> I was reading this paper on the AKS primality test (undergraduates can understand it, highly recommended!), and on page 7 the author brings up the story of...
  24. romascenko

    Why is my material testing machine throwing out errors at speeds over 250mm/min?

    We have a problem with mentioned machine when making tests at speed like below 250mm/min its ok but if we go over that speed machine throws out error its like that the machine hasnt got enough power and because there is not smooth working programm shut down test. If i do a speed ramp to go up...
  25. M

    MHB Hypothesis testing - Winning a game

    Hey! :o A and B play 100 games of squash; A wins E times. B claims that both of them have the same probability of winning a game. We consider that the games are independent. (a) Formulate the null hypothesis and the alternative hypothesis. (b) For which values of $E$ will the null...
  26. M

    MHB Performance of students - Hypothesis testing

    Hey! :o A teacher wants to find out if the order of the exam tasks has an impact on the performance of the students. Therefore, he creates two versions ($ X $ and $ Y $) of an exam in which the exam tasks are arranged differently. The versions are randomly distributed so that $ n $ students...
  27. Jschrodes4

    Single Cycle Pressure Test for Pressure Vessel

    Homework Statement I need to design a pressure test that, in one cycle, will simulate the 8000 cycles that a given pressure vessel will undergo. I know the dimensions and material of the vessel, the number of pressure cycles it will undergo, and the max and min working pressures. Homework...
  28. mkematt96

    Linear Abrasion Testing PVC/Polymer Blend Hoses

    Working on a research project to develop a test standard for abrasion testing pressure washer hoses. Ideally this could be used on any sort of hose. We have a set procedure that has worked on a couple hoses that looks like this: .Weight applied is constant .Cycle speed is constant .Constant...
  29. K

    Method for testing discharge resistors in 3 phase capacitors

    A couple of months ago I was troubleshooting a blown fuse on a power factor correction capacitor in a 4160v motor starter. While I was working through it I noticed that my DMM (fluke 289) would charge the capacitor to a certain degree while on the Ω function. The current from the meter would...
  30. P

    Testing Accuracy of a 0.25 Water Manometer Using a 10:1 Inclined Mount

    I need to test this gauge. It reads -0.25 to 0 to +0.25 inches of water. I am using it in the 0.02 to 0.03 negative and positive ranges. What of known value can I use to deflect this gauge maybe .1 or .05 in either or both directions to test the gauges accuracy? it gives the option of selecting...
  31. J

    Testing my Discrete Fourier Transform program

    Homework Statement I've written a program that calculates the discrete Fourier transform of a set of data in FORTRAN 90. To test it, I need to "generate a perfect sine wave of given period, calculate the DFT and write both data and DFT out to file. Plot the result- does it look like what you...
  32. Z

    Testing: Choosing the right sensor for RPM

    I have no previous experience collecting RPM data so would like advice from those with previous experience. I need to collect RPM data from my machine and record it's behavior as I apply and remove power. I'll be engaging and disengaging a load. So I'm trying to find out how long it takes for it...
  33. L

    Vickers Hardness testing simulation on ANSYS

    I have tried to simulate the Vickers hardness on a substrate with a coating on it. I am really struggling to get it to work as the deformation is far too big. I have added the pictures of my model. Is there anyone that can help me with this?
  34. G

    DNA testing, what kind of sample is the minimum?

    Is it possible to do DNA test from fallen hair, or skin cells? Or no, since the cells die and lose their core before they fall from the body? Do dead cells still have somekind of unique "fingerprint"?
  35. BillTre

    Testing Cloud Seeding: Science Magazine News Report

    Here is a Science magazine News Report on some clever (to me anyway) testing of seeding clouds with Silver Iodine vs. induced snow formation.
  36. U

    Testing floating point numbers for equality

    Anybody can help me?? The problem is when the value of (r1o = r, and r2o=r), the result will be infinite,,,what the the probably test for this case?? I can't test floating point numbers for equality ( if r == 0.5 and r == -0.5). But, when running this program without test floating point, it...
  37. T

    Testing of the hypothesis of variance

    Homework Statement for randomly selected IQ adult scores are normally distributed with mean of 100 and standarrd deviation of 15 ,. a sample of 24 randomly selected professors resulted in the IQ scores having a standard deviation of 10 . Test the claim that the IQ scores for the professors is...
  38. ChrisVer

    Python Neural Network training BUT testing fails

    Hi, I was trying to work on a basic NN training problem I found online. The pattern of data to train are the triplets: [101]->1 , [011]->1, [001]->0 , [111]->0 , [100]->1 Meaning that the 3rd number brings no info, while for the first 2 if they are identical it should evaluate to 0 else to 1...
  39. nothing909

    Testing instrumenation amplifier

    Homework Statement I just have some very simple questions to ask. I'm testing a basic 3 OP instrumentation amplifier I have to short V2 to ground and test V1 from -2V to 2V, in 0.25 increments. I then have to short V1 to ground and test V2 from -2 to 2V in 0.25 increments. the results i...
  40. T

    Testing of population variance

    Homework Statement with an individual lines at its various windows , a post office finds that the standard deviation for normally distributed waiting times for customers on Friday afternoon is 7.2 minutes . The post office expreiemets with a single, main waiting line and finds that for a random...
  41. T

    Is the claim of 18mg of nicotine per cigarette accurate?

    Homework Statement An advertisement for a certain brand of cigarettes claimed that on average there's no more than 18mg of nicotine per cigarettes . A test of 12 cigarettes gave a sample mean of 19.1 . Assuming varience is 4 , test the claim with a significance level of α = 0.05 Homework...
  42. G

    Testing a Microcontroller with a Function Generator

    Hello, I have more of a mechanical background so I was looking to get some help from someone with an electrical background with this. I am trying to use a BK Precision Function Generator (datasheet: https://bkpmedia.s3.amazonaws.com/downloads/manuals/en-us/4017A_manual.pdf) to send a signal to...
  43. M

    MHB Calculating Listeners Tuning in 8-9am: Least/Greatest #s

    a radio station claims 55% of all listeners tune into their program between 8 and 9 am. To check this claim a competing radio station does a survey of a random sample of listeners in the 8 to 9 am time slot. the survey indicates the claim can not be rejected. if the sample size is 1000 people...
  44. R

    Conceptual Question regarding hypothesis testing regression

    Homework Statement Hi, I had a question regarding testing a regression models coefficients. Say there is a regression model that has the form: y = b0 + b1x1 + b2x2 + b3x3 + b4x4 + e For the sake of simplicity let: e be the random error, x1 is age, x2 is severity, and x3 is anxiety. y is...
  45. K

    I Testing Quantum Gravity paper Bose Einstein helium superfluid

    Testing Quantum Gravity Johan Hansson, Stephane Francois (Submitted on 19 Oct 2017) The search for a theory of quantum gravity is the most fundamental problem in all of theoretical physics, but there are as yet no experimental results at all to guide this endeavor. What seems to be needed is a...
  46. G

    Hypothesis testing case

    Homework Statement Given ##X_1,\dots,X_{100}##, test ##H_0: \lambda=1## against ##H_a: \lambda=4##. The mean ##\bar{X_{100}}=1.5## (1) Take the decision on 3% level. (2) Find the p-value Homework Equations ##t=\frac{\bar{x}-\mu}{s/\sqrt{n}}## The Attempt at a Solution The level of...
  47. evinda

    MHB Questions about proof about primality testing

    Hello! (Wave) I have read the proof that primality testing is in NP and I have a question about it. The proof is the following:Note that the group $(\mathbb{Z}/ N \mathbb{Z})^{\ast}$ is of order $N-1$ iff $N$ is prime. And more over, it is a cyclic group of order $N-1$ iff $N$ is a prime...
  48. Another

    Testing Absolute Convergence of ∑(-2)n+1/n+5n

    ∑ (-2)n+1/n+5n Test this series Absolute Convergence ? ∑|an| = ∑(2)n+1/n+5n if the sum of |an| converges, than the sum of an converges ∑|an| = ∑(2)n+1/n+5n I can use Comparison Test? I can choose series bn = ∑ 2n/5n ?
  49. Abdul Wali

    Understanding Key Parameters in Transformer Oil Testing

    Hi, when it comes to Transformer Oil testing, there are some parameters that we need to consider but i don't understand their definitions and i can't find their explanations online, so may someone please define these terms for me that what these terms actually mean? the terms are as follows...
  50. K

    I Testing string/m-theory extra dimensions prediction

    String theory and M-theory and Kaluza Klein theories predicts additional extra dimensions at least 2 recent papers proposed tests these predictions of extra dimensions String theory phenomenology and quantum many body systems Sergio Gutiérrez, Abel Camacho, Héctor Hernández (Submitted on 24...
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