Electronic Schematics
A Electronic schematic is a simplified drawing representing a circuit using symbols to represent real-world objects.
A final means of describing an electric circuit is by use of conventional circuit symbols to provide a schematic diagram of the circuit and its components. Some circuit symbols used in schematic diagrams are shown below.
A single cell or other power source is represented by a long and a short parallel line. A collection of cells or battery is represented by a collection of long and short parallel lines. In both cases, the long line is representative of the positive terminal of the energy source and the short line represents the negative terminal. A straight line is used to represent a connecting wire between any two components of the circuit. An electrical device that offers resistance to the flow of charge is generically referred to as a resistor and is represented by a zigzag line. An open switch is generally represented by providing a break in a straight line by lifting a portion of the line upward at a diagonal. These circuit symbols will be frequently used throughout the remainder of Lesson 4 as electric circuits are represented by schematic diagrams. It will be important to either memorize these symbols or to refer to this short listing frequently until you become accustomed to their use.
As an illustration of the use of electrical symbols in schematic diagrams, consider the following two examples.
As an illustration of the use of electrical symbols in schematic diagrams, consider the following two examples.