Definition: torture test

A test of a system under abnormal conditions such as extreme heat or cold. A computer may be kept running for weeks on end using software that causes the CPU chip to run at its maximum (most number of transistors switching all the time). A laptop may be dropped over and over from different heights to determine its ruggedness. The term may be occasionally used with testing software, but it mostly refers to hardware because plastic, glass, metal and semiconductor materials have physical limitations.