A term used to describe a process or system that is considered only in terms of its inputs and outputs, and with no knowledge or understanding of internal operations. It is typically used to represent complex systems where the precise details or mechanism of the process or system is not known or fully understood. It uses empirical or semi-empirical mathematical models, experimental data, past performance data, and trends to describe or predict behaviour. It gets its name from the opaqueness of not seeing the internal operations. Examples include biological processes involving living organisms and the behaviour of catalysts in heterogeneous chemical reactions.