Testability, a property applying to an empirical hypothesis, involves two components: (1) the logical property that is variously described as contingency, defeasibility, or falsifiability, which means that counterexamples to the hypothesis are logically possible, and (2) the practical feasibility of observing a reproducible series of such counterexamples if they do exist. In short, a hypothesis is testable if there is some real hope of deciding whether it is true or false of real experience. Upon this property of its constituent hypotheses rests the ability to decide whether a theory can be confirmed or falsified by the data of actual experience. It means it can be tested, but it also can be proven wrong later.

In enginerring this refers to the capability of an equipment or system to be tested

See also

• Confirmability
• Contingency
• Scientific method

Further reading

• Popper, K. R. (1968) The Logic of Scientific Discovery. London; Hutchinson.