# Three Plates

DevFeed: [Three Plates](<https://devfeed.tech/articles/three-plates-33415.md>)

Original publisher: [Read original article](<https://timkellogg.me/blog/2022/04/11/three-plates>)

Published: 2022-04-11T00:00:00Z

Content type: opinion

Language: en

Sources: [Tim Kellogg](<https://devfeed.tech/sources/tim-kellogg.md>)

Topics: [Unit testing](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/unit-testing.md>), [Test-driven development](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/tdd.md>), [Testing](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/testing.md>), [Formal methods](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/formal-methods.md>)

Tags: [formal-methods](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/formal-methods.md>), [tdd](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/tdd.md>), [testing](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/testing.md>), [unit-testing](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/unit-testing.md>), [unit-tests](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/unit-tests.md>)

## AI overview

The article uses the three-plates method as an analogy for unit testing and test-driven development, describing iterative refinement of test and production code. It also notes the importance of broader quality practices, including functional testing and possibly formal methods.

## Source excerpt

"Why don't we test our tests?". It's like the three plates method. Take test code and prod code and grind them against each other until the blemishes are ground smooth. That's unit testing.