# [[Chaos engineering terminology]] [[Chaos Engineering]] borrows a lot of terminology from the [[Scientific Method]], possibly because of its roots being in [[Chaos Theory]]. ## Experiment ^6d9892 Unlike other forms of [[Performance Testing]], chaos engineers speak of "experiments" instead of "tests". This is an intentional distinction, because tests connote an expected result. ## Hypothesis ^3a4133 A hypothesis is the testing equivalent of an expected result. However, the goal of testing is to achieve that expected result. A hypothesis, in chaos engineering, is a starting point of inquiry. Chaos engineers make it a point to attempt to _DISprove_ a hypothesis rather than seeking to confirm it. ## Blast radius Because chaos experiments can become... well, chaotic... in their consequences, it's best practice to start small. The blast radius is a metaphor for the proportion of the application that could potentially be affected by a chaos experiment. The blast radius refers to the number of hosts, containers, or resources affected by an experiment. ## Magnitude Magnitude is the intensity or level of chaos introduced during an experiment. The best practice is to start with only an incremental amount of difference, so as to assess the implications and effects on the application before ramping it up. This best practice is similar to the idea of a [[Shakeout Test]]. For example, a magnitude of 1000 on a latency attack might mean injecting 1000ms of latency on a component. ## Abort conditions An abort condition is a predetermined situation or trigger for ending the experiment. Setting an abort condition is more important in chaos engineering than in other forms of load testing because of the increased likelihood of unintended or unexpected consequences from an experiment. ^558980 Chaos engineers employ sometimes destructive tactics to disprove their hypotheses. An unexpectedly large blast radius (where more systems are affected than was planned) could cause a significant production downtime. Some examples of abort conditions might be ones that specify an acceptable level of error rate or latency.