Cognitive Scaffold

Preparing your thinking workspace

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MENTAL MODEL · M2113

Sanity Check

Sanity Check
SystemsHigh supportSystems Theory
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Version 1.0.0 · Updated 2026-07-30

CORE DEFINITION

A quick, rough test to verify whether a calculation result or system behavior falls within a 'reasonable range', to rule out obvious low-level errors (such as calculating a negative age).

SCAFFOLDING EFFECT

psychology

Reduce cognitive load

Prevent absurd errors. Before diving into complex analysis, do a sanity check (e.g., Fermi estimation). If the result defies common sense, stop immediately; don't waste time seeking an exact solution—the overall direction is certainly wrong.

anchor

Anchor fast decisions

A sanity check refers to using a rough, independent method to quickly verify whether a result is broadly reasonable, to catch order-of-magnitude or directional errors. It originates from engineering and programming practice.

MINIMUM ACTION

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Source support: Explicit

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    en.wikipedia.orghttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sanity_checkZH · Explicit
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