Why can't authors be specific?

[Jennice]

I was reading an IEC standard on safety today (at work), and stumbled across the following sentence:

>>> The rated load impedance of any output shall be connected or not connected. <<<

I mean... what else is there to choose!? Sometimes I wonder if the documents are written specifically to justify people being employed to "decode" their meaning...?

Does anyone else have similar experiences?


Jennice

[TwoSpoons]

I can't quote the specific text, but in a Standard for car alarms I came across two clauses that turned of to be mutually exclusive - making it impossible to comply with the Standard!

[Enzo]

You can find poorly written things anywhere. On the other hand, sometimes the context makes it clear.

If someone asks me to troubleshoot an amplifier that makes a loud hum, I might start out with "there is either signal at the output or there is not." Following that is a branching discussion of what to do in either case. Lifted from its context the statement sounds silly, but in place it serves to branch the discussion.

SOmetimes a statement like your example might be a clumsy way of stating that a circuit will have to face both conditions. My tube amp design needs to know that.

WHen something truly is poorly stated, write a note to the publisher. Otherwise the errors are continued into later editions.

[Jennice]

Good idea - except that this is the result of years of work in some IEC workgroup. Maybe they should cut down on the coffee.

I have searched. There is no further context to this test condition, which I quoted in my first post. However, I have been told that it's meant to indicate: Choose whichever condition is worst case.

Whyt couldn't they just write that?

Jennice

[kelticwizard]

By IEC: The rated load impedance of any output shall be connected or not connected.

I can think of context where this would make sense.

Suppose a certain reading should occur both with load hooked up or not hooked up. So you are to test it either way. If you get a reading outside the stated specs, something is amiss, whether the load is hooked up or not. From the looks of this particular quote, it looks like part of a step-by-step list.

I do not know if that is the context in question, but that is one example how that quote can fit.