Edge case
Encyclopedia
An edge case is a problem or situation that occurs only at an extreme (maximum or minimum) operating parameter.
For example, a stereo speaker might distort audio when played at its maximum rated volume, even in the absence of other extreme settings or conditions.
An edge case can be expected or unexpected. In engineering
, the process of planning for and gracefully addressing edge cases can be a significant task, and one that may be overlooked or underestimated. Non-trivial edge cases can result in a failure of the object being engineered that may not have been imagined during the design
phase or anticipated as possible during normal use. For this reason, attempts to formalize good engineering practices often incorporate information about dealing with edge cases.
For example, a stereo speaker might distort audio when played at its maximum rated volume, even in the absence of other extreme settings or conditions.
An edge case can be expected or unexpected. In engineering
Engineering
Engineering is the discipline, art, skill and profession of acquiring and applying scientific, mathematical, economic, social, and practical knowledge, in order to design and build structures, machines, devices, systems, materials and processes that safely realize improvements to the lives of...
, the process of planning for and gracefully addressing edge cases can be a significant task, and one that may be overlooked or underestimated. Non-trivial edge cases can result in a failure of the object being engineered that may not have been imagined during the design
Design
Design as a noun informally refers to a plan or convention for the construction of an object or a system while “to design” refers to making this plan...
phase or anticipated as possible during normal use. For this reason, attempts to formalize good engineering practices often incorporate information about dealing with edge cases.
See also
- Corner caseCorner caseA corner case is a problem or situation that occurs only outside of normal operating parameters – specifically one that manifests itself when multiple environmental variables or conditions are simultaneously at extreme levels, even though each parameter is within the specified range for that...
- Boundary caseBoundary caseThe term boundary case is frequently used in software engineering to refer to the behavior of a system when one of its inputs is at or just beyond its maximum or minimum limits...