Would it kill you just to give me the page numbers?

[ggunn]

If I look up conduit in the index to find out what I can do with a certain type of conduit, every listing sends me haring off to find the exact name of the conduit I am seeking somewhere else in the index, and the character string it has to use to tell me where to go is much longer than if they just gave me the stinkin' page number. The conduit descriptions are all together sequentially in the articles, anyway. Would it be so hard just to give the page numbers instead of "See blah blah blah"?

End rant.

 

[xformer]

If I look up conduit in the index to find out what I can do with a certain type of conduit, every listing sends me haring off to find the exact name of the conduit I am seeking somewhere else in the index, and the character string it has to use to tell me where to go is much longer than if they just gave me the stinkin' page number. The conduit descriptions are all together sequentially in the articles, anyway. Would it be so hard just to give the page numbers instead of "See blah blah blah"?

End rant.

Why not use Table of Contents?

 

[roger]

Why not use Table of Contents?

I agree. The index has been hated by many for a long time

 

[ActionDave]

I agree with ggun's rant.

You don't use the table of contents because a normal person goes to a normal reference book and uses the table of contents to find broad chapter titles and the index to find a specific pages on a specific topic.

A normal person forgets that the NEC is staffed by people so incompetent and misanthropic they were fired from customer service jobs at the DMV and the post office. No one else could arrange an index in such a manner.

 

[LarryFine]

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[Dennis Alwon]

It's a real problem for people trying to learn the code and practice taking an exam. I try and discourage the index and have they try and learn what the question is asking and then lookup what article it is under. Once they learn the organization of the code they can scan quickly and find what they need.

 

[LarryFine]

Maybe I'm weird (), but I have no trouble using the index to find what I'm looking for quickly.

 

[texie]

I would suggest a copy of Tom Henry Key Word Index. It really is handy and far better than trying to use the NEC index. Should be available on Amazon for 30 bucks or so.

 

[Dsg319]

I would suggest a copy of Tom Henry Key Word Index. It really is handy and far better than trying to use the NEC index. Should be available on Amazon for 30 bucks or so.

I even put alphabetical tabs on my Tom Henry key word index to save on time saying my abc’s during test lol

 

[pv_n00b]

When I first started using the code I used the index but quickly learned it is pretty much useless. Keyword searches in the PDF work much better than the index. After you have a few years working with the code you will just know where the things you need are, but the learning curve is steep. Tabs you can add to the book are useful if you use the print version.

 

[Strathead]

I would suggest a copy of Tom Henry Key Word Index. It really is handy and far better than trying to use the NEC index. Should be available on Amazon for 30 bucks or so.

Unless you are studying to take the test, because you can't bring that in with you. One step beyond that today, is just use Google. As others have stated, learn the sections, use the table of contents, and the index.

 

[Strathead]

It's a real problem for people trying to learn the code and practice taking an exam. I try and discourage the index and have they try and learn what the question is asking and then lookup what article it is under. Once they learn the organization of the code they can scan quickly and find what they need.

I teach a 2nd year apprenticeship and that is exactly what I try to teach my students.

 

[kwired]

I also used the index a lot when first started to use the code. Once I got familiar with layout I used it less, until they reorganized a lot of things back in 1996 and 1999 anyway, then had to relearn some the organization I'll admit the new organization probably is overall better though. Once I got the organization of things down have hardly ever used the index, and if using any the electronic versions there have been there are better ways of searching anyway.

 

[don_resqcapt19]

You need to understand the parallel numbering system used for the rules in the Chapter 3 articles. Once you understand that, all you need is the article number. All of the listing requirements are in the xxx.6 sections, the uses permitted in the xxx.10 sections, the uses not permitted in the xxx.12, the bending rules in the xxx.24 and xxx.26 sections, the support requirements in the xxx.30 sections and the grounding rules in the xxx.60 sections. Those are the ones I can think of, but in general the parallel numbering system is used in all of the Chapter 3 articles.

 

[kwired]

One problem with giving page numbers is every time code is updated they may need to go through and verify every one of those just to make sure it is still correct. Plus you would need different page number in say the handbook. Posting section numbers would still be accurate as long as content never moved to a different section.

 

[jmellc]

I agree with ggun's rant.

You don't use the table of contents because a normal person goes to a normal reference book and uses the table of contents to find broad chapter titles and the index to find a specific pages on a specific topic.

A normal person forgets that the NEC is staffed by people so incompetent and misanthropic they were fired from customer service jobs at the DMV and the post office. No one else could arrange an index in such a manner.

They always find new ways to make reading as awkward as possible. I have to mark my conduit pages at the top because they label the start of a category but do not relabel when turning pages. I have been thrown off a few times because of this. I also get irritate with "shall be not less than" instead of "shall be at least:". Write the book the way the average person speaks.

 

[kwired]

They always find new ways to make reading as awkward as possible. I have to mark my conduit pages at the top because they label the start of a category but do not relabel when turning pages. I have been thrown off a few times because of this. I also get irritate with "shall be not less than" instead of "shall be at least:". Write the book the way the average person speaks.

Average person speak is not always precision in nature though. When talking about something that has definite parameters you can't speak in something that is not precise.

 

[jmellc]

Average person speak is not always precision in nature though. When talking about something that has definite parameters you can't speak in something that is not precise.

How is "shall be at least" any less precise than "shall be not less than"?

 

[kwired]

How is "shall be at least" any less precise than "shall be not less than"?

How is either of those harder to understand than the other?

Submit a PI changing all cases of "shall not be less than" to "shall be at least" and see if they bite.

 

[Fred B]

How is "shall be at least" any less precise than "shall be not less than"?

There must be lawyer wannabes around there, as a lot of the language used can fall into the category of "legalize". The latter reference falls into that.