Re: Big oops ... need suggestions
This may be a bit of a risk, but I will try one more time.
We are neither mathematicians nor physicists. Sometimes we would be well served by being more precise in our use of words and phrases. But we need not take on the view of a mathematician or a physicist, when considering the word "point" in the definition of outlet. For example, in the view of a mathematician, a sphere that is one billionth of a millimeter in diameter does not constitute a "point."
For our profession, it does not matter whether we are talking about a box, or about a point of connection that does not take place within a box, or about a device that is to be mounted within a box. If I wanted to be as precise as my nature might allow, I might say that the "point" at which current is taken from a receptacle to serve utilization equipment is the flat metal pieces internal to the receptacle to which the blades of the plug make contact. But I will not infer from that "truth" that it is the metal pieces, and not the receptacle as a whole, and not the combination of receptacle/box that comprises the "outlet."
For the moment, let's limit our consideration to 2x4 boxes. Let us imagine a 6 inch cube that surrounds a 2x4 box. Let me inform you that within the boundaries of one such cube there are the box, some amount of conduit, some wires, some drywall, some wood framing, and a duplex receptacle. Furthermore, within the boundaries of a second such cube there are the same items, but there is a standard wall switch (e.g., on/off for ceiling lights) instead of the duplex receptacle.
I submit that within the first cube there is an "outlet," as defined in the NEC. I don't care what point you call the "point." The outlet is somewhere within that cube, though the utilization equipment is probably not within the cube. Also, the outlet within that cube does not change in identity from "outlet" to "not an outlet," by virtue of something being plugged into the receptacle, or by virtue of nothing being plugged into the receptacle.
I further submit that within the second cube there is not an "outlet." As a consequence, if I were to design a home with a switch in a bedroom serving a light in a bathroom, with no other loads on that circuit, and without regard to whether the neutral wire makes an appearance in the box that houses the switch, then that circuit will not have AFCI protection, and I would be willing to apply my PE seal to the design drawings.
I am done with this topic.
