science

IEC 61355

IEC 61355 is a science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand IEC 61355 rather than just read about it. In short: The standard IEC 61355-1 Classification and designation of documents for plants, systems and equipment describes rules and guidelines for the uniform classification and identification of documents based on their characteristic content of information. It is applied for all documents within the life cycle of a technical products like plants, systems or equipment.

Key takeaways

IEC 61355 belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect IEC 61355 to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of IEC 61355 from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

The standard IEC 61355-1 Classification and designation of documents for plants, systems and equipment describes rules and guidelines for the uniform classification and identification of documents based on their characteristic content of information. It is applied for all documents within the life cycle of a technical products like plants, systems or equipment. It also includes non-technical documents. The main application is the construction, erection and operation of industrial plants where the number of documents of all engineering disciplines may sum up to some 100,000 documents. During 2024, the new cross-standard ISO/IEC 81355 will be published and will replace the second edition of IEC 61355-1 published in 2008. The new standard will switch from "document classification" to "information classification" methods.

Classification code The standard provides with the document kind classification code (DCC) a structured letter-code for the classification of any kind of document. A public access database IEC 61355 DB is available in order to facilitate the individuation of the correct code to be applied to a document The document kind classification code consists of three code-letters A1, A2, A3, with the prefix "&".

A1 Letter code for technical area class A2 Letter code for main class A3 Letter code for sub-class The letter code A1 is optional, if all documents are from the same technical area. The letter codes A2 and A3 are identical for all technical areas.

Technical Areas The technical areas are:

Classes The main classes are:

Main classes and subclasses Table of main classes and subclasses

Source: IEC 61355–1

References

Designation codes for document kind classification codes in power plants (DCC key) published by VGB PowerTech e.V. ISBN 978-3-86875-331-8

External links "IEC 61355" at International Electrotechnical Commission (not public: requires a “my IEC” account for access)

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with IEC 61355

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what IEC 61355 claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to IEC 61355 before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about IEC 61355 ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of IEC 61355

In research: IEC 61355 appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses IEC 61355 in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: IEC 61355 is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics IEC standards, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for IEC 61355 outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study IEC 61355 in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what IEC 61355 means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain IEC 61355 out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is IEC 61355 in simple terms?

Why does IEC 61355 matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study IEC 61355?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on IEC 61355.