The point of a sanity test is to rule out certain classes of obviously false results, not to catch every possible error.
A sanity test can refer to various orders of magnitude and other simple rule-of-thumb devices applied to cross-check mathematical calculations.
[6] Another common usage of sanity test is to denote checks which are performed within programme code, usually on arguments to functions or returns therefrom, to see if the answers can be assumed to be correct.
[7] These kinds of sanity checks may be used during development for debugging purposes and also to aid in troubleshooting software runtime errors.
[citation needed] Sanity checks are also performed upon installation of stable, production software code into a new computing environment to ensure that all dependencies are met, such as a compatible operating system and link libraries.
The Association for Computing Machinery,[8] and software projects such as Android,[9] MediaWiki[10] and Twitter,[11] discourage use of the phrase sanity check in favour of other terms such as confidence test, coherence check, or simply test, as part of a wider attempt to avoid ableist language and increase inclusivity.