Sensitivity-analysis and estimating number-of-faults in removal debugging

Estimating the number of faults in a computer program is important in software debugging. A martingale equation is used to estimate the number of faults in removal-debugging by assuming a known proportionality constant between the failure rate of a 'newly detected fault' and a 'seeded fault'. The sensitivity of the assumption is examined, and the results are generalized to allow an unknown proportionality. The information of the proportionality is shown to be crucial in the precision and availability of the estimates. It is advisable to obtain the information about the proportionality constant from external sources in order to improve the efficiency of the method in this paper.