Detection of linear errors via domain testing

Abstract
Domain testing attempts to find errors in the numeric expressions affecting the flow of control through a program. Intuitively, domain testing provides a systematic form of boundary value testing for the conditional statements within a program. Several forms of domain testing have been proposed, all dealing with the detection of linear errors in linear functions. Perturbation analysis has been previously developed as a measure of the volume of faults, from within a selected space of possible faults, left undetected by a test set. It is adapted here to errors and error spaces. The adapted form is used to show that the different forms of domain testing are closer in error detection ability than had been supposed. They may all be considered effective for finding linear errors in linear predicate functions. A simple extension is proposed, which allows them to detect linear errors in nonlinear predicate functions using only a single additional test point.

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