In science, computing, and engineering, a
black box is a device, system or object which can be viewed in terms of its inputs and outputs (or
transfer characteristics), without any knowledge of its internal workings. Its implementation is "opaque" (black). Almost anything might be referred to as a black box: a
transistor,
algorithm, or the
human brain. To analyse something, as an
open system, with a typical "black box approach", only the behavior of the stimulus/response will be accounted for, to infer the (unknown)
box. The usual representation of this
black box system is a
data flow diagram centered in the box.