an evaluation of how important a capability (e g , use case path) is to the client or user estimated in terms of the impact that an associated defect or failure will have on the development or operation of an application
The condition in which nuclear fuel sustains a chain reaction It occurs when the number of neutrons present in one generation cycle equals the number generated in the previous cycle
A measure of the severity of a failure in relation to mission performance, hazards to material or personnel, and maintenance cost Projects typically establish their own criticality definitions and classifications
The priority rank of a failure mode based on some assessment criteria D Defect - A term typically used in the maintenance of mobile equipment A defect is typically a potential failure or other condition that will require maintenance attention at some time in the future, but which is not currently preventing the equipment from fulfilling its functions
a critical state; especially the point at which a nuclear reaction is self-sustaining a state of critical urgency
A reaction is said to have achieved criticality if it is generating enough neutrons to maintain the reaction at the same level that it is currently operating at Creating too many neutrons make the reaction super-critical, and too few neutrons make the reaction sub-critical See also: Sub-Critical, Super-critical
A relative measure of the consequence of a particular failure mode and its frequency of occurrence The criticality value is used to rank failure modes when performing a FMECA
A term used in reactor physics to describe the state when the number of neutrons released by fission is exactly balanced by the neutrons being absorbed (by fuel and poisons) and escaping the reactor core A reactor is said to be "critical" when it achieves a self-sustaining nuclear chain reaction, as when the reactor is operating