The indirect observation of the item using intrusive instrumentation, fixtures or external excitation that may alter the behavior of the item. Applicable IFF the characteristic specified is quantifiable and the test method has a known effect on the item’s behavior.
See also demonstration for a discussion about selecting levels of aggregation for any given test objective. The major difference in the discussion with regard to test is that of observability, since test methods intrude on the UUT to some greater or lesser extent.
Contrast with demonstration, analysis and inspection.