2014-04-26 10:52:28 -04:00
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pathological
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2014-04-26 11:54:15 -04:00
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adj. 1. [scientific computation] Used of a data set that is grossly atypical
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of normal expected input, esp. one that exposes a weakness or bug in
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whatever algorithm one is using. An algorithm that can be broken by
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pathological inputs may still be useful if such inputs are very unlikely to
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occur in practice. 2. When used of test input, implies that it was
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purposefully engineered as a worst case. The implication in both senses is
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that the data is spectacularly ill-conditioned or that someone had to
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explicitly set out to break the algorithm in order to come up with such a
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crazy example. 3. Also said of an unlikely collection of circumstances. If
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the network is down and comes up halfway through the execution of that
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command by root, the system may just crash. Yes, but that's a pathological
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case. Often used to dismiss the case from discussion, with the implication
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that the consequences are acceptable, since they will happen so infrequently
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(if at all) that it doesn't seem worth going to the extra trouble to handle
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that case (see sense 1).
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