appliance vs black box

appliance

noun
  • An implement, an instrument or apparatus designed (or at least used) as a means to a specific end, especially 

  • An attachment, a piece of equipment to adapt another tool or machine to a specific purpose. 

  • A non-manual apparatus or device, powered electrically or by another small motor, used in homes to perform domestic functions (household appliance) and/or in offices. 

black box

noun
  • A theoretical construct or device with known input and output characteristics but unknown method of operation. 

  • A flight recorder; the brightly colored cockpit voice recorders and flight data recorders in an aircraft designed to aid in determining the cause of an accident. 

  • A device used in phreaking that prevents the calling party from being billed for the call placed. 

  • A type of theater characterized by a lack of decoration or complex mechanisms. 

  • Any similar device on motor vehicles, such as rail event recorders and ship trip recorders. 

verb
  • To focus on the inputs and outputs without worrying about the internal complexity. 

How often have the words appliance and black box occurred in a corpus of books? (source: Google Ngram Viewer )