What defines a load as intermittent rather than continuous in terms of duration?

What defines a load as intermittent rather than continuous in terms of duration?

• A. Intermittent loads last less than two minutes.
• B. Intermittent loads last more than two minutes.
• C. Intermittent loads last exactly two minutes.
• D. Intermittent loads are not time-based.

Answer: (B)

The key idea is that loads are categorized by how long they stay on in a single event. In this context, a two-minute boundary is used to tell intermittent from continuous. If a load remains on for more than two minutes, it is considered intermittent because that longer on-time represents a sustained, non-brief demand rather than a quick, momentary spike. Shorter on-times—less than two minutes—behave like brief bursts and are treated as part of a continuous-type duty for the purpose of the definitions used here. An exact two-minute duration isn’t the defining point, and saying the category isn’t time-based would miss the whole criterion the question is asking about.

The key idea is that loads are categorized by how long they stay on in a single event. In this context, a two-minute boundary is used to tell intermittent from continuous. If a load remains on for more than two minutes, it is considered intermittent because that longer on-time represents a sustained, non-brief demand rather than a quick, momentary spike. Shorter on-times—less than two minutes—behave like brief bursts and are treated as part of a continuous-type duty for the purpose of the definitions used here. An exact two-minute duration isn’t the defining point, and saying the category isn’t time-based would miss the whole criterion the question is asking about.