BASIC SYMBOLS

The simplest schematic symbol is the one representing a wire or electrical conductor: a straight solid line. Sometimes dashed lines are used to represent conductors, but usually, broken lines are drawn to partition diagrams into constituent circuits or to indicate that certain components interact with each other or operate in step with each other. Conductor lines are almost always drawn either horizontally across or vertically up and down the page so that the imaginary charge carriers are forced to march in formation like soldiers. This keeps the diagram neat and easy to read.
When two conductor lines cross, they are not connected at the crossing point unless a heavy black dot is placed where the two lines meet. The dot always should be clearly visible wherever conductors are to be connected, no matter how many of them meet at the junction.
A resistor is indicated by a zigzaggy line. A variable resistor, such as a rheostat or potentiometer, is indicated by a zigzaggy line with an arrow through it or by a zigzaggy line with an arrow pointing at it. These symbols are shown in Fig. 1.

Fig. 1. (a) A fixed resistor. (b) A two-terminal variable resistor. (c) A three-terminal potentiometer.
An electrochemical cell is shown by two parallel lines, one longer than the other. The longer line represents the positive terminal. A battery, or combination of cells in series, is indicated by an alternating sequence of parallel lines, long-short-long-short. The symbols for a cell and a battery are shown in Fig. 2.

Fig. 2. (a) An electrochemical cell. (b) A battery.