Looking at the database article, I now realize that many of the math and physics articles are written in exactly that style. The authors seem to give complete a

Looking at the database article, I now realize that many of the math and physics articles are written in exactly that style. The authors seem to give complete and thorough maximally-formal definitions first, and only afterwards (if at all) attempt to explain it to people that don't already know the subject. Thinking about it, this is exactly what I would expect from a process that overemphasizes formal rules of evidence and precision over being of value to the general public.