Battery and sources: labelled reference, US style

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Battery and sources: labelled reference, US style, sheet 1 of 2

  1. Fig. 1

    +−

    Cell

    In a cell symbol the long thin line is the positive terminal and the short thick line is the negative terminal.

  2. Fig. 2

    +−

    Battery

    A battery is drawn as several cells in a row; the terminals follow the same long-positive rule.

  3. Fig. 3

    +−

    DC voltage source

    The generic DC voltage-source drawing used in both views is a circle with + and − signs. An ideal voltage source fixes the voltage difference between those terminals.

  4. Fig. 4

    12

    AC source

    The sinusoidal AC voltage-source drawing used here is a circle with a sine wave inside.

  5. Fig. 5

    12

    Current source

    The generic current-source drawing used in both views is a circle with an arrow giving conventional current direction. An ideal current source fixes that current; the arrow does not give voltage polarity.

Notes

  1. The terminal key and the sources are on sheet 2.
Name
Class
Date
Sheet
1 of 2
Drawing
Battery and sources Labelled reference
Style
US style
From
circuitsymbols.com
Licence
CC BY 4.0

Battery and sources: labelled reference, US style, sheet 2 of 2

Terminal key
Fig.TerminalsWhat the terminal is
1–3+The + mark identifies the higher-potential terminal relative to the − terminal. The polarity marks alone do not determine whether current is entering or leaving the source.
1–3−The − mark identifies the lower-potential terminal relative to the + terminal. It is not automatically the circuit's zero-volt reference.
41, 2The sinusoidal AC voltage source shown here alternates its polarity between its two terminals; neither terminal is permanently positive.
51Conventional current enters the ideal current source at the tail end of its arrow; this does not specify that terminal's voltage polarity.
52Conventional current leaves the ideal current source at the arrowhead end; this does not specify that terminal's voltage polarity.

Sources

  1. ModEL — Components and Symbols, §3.5 (cells and ideal source symbols, p. 12), Tony R. Kuphaldt, retrieved 2026-09-22
  2. ModEL — Sources and Loads, Voltmeters and Ammeters, §§4.2–4.6 and §6.2, Tony R. Kuphaldt, retrieved 2026-09-22
  3. Lessons In Electric Circuits, Vol. V — §9, Circuit Schematic Symbols (pp. 130–139), Tony R. Kuphaldt, retrieved 2026-09-22
  4. ModEL — Components and Symbols, §§3.13–3.14 (inductors and transformers, pp. 24–26), Tony R. Kuphaldt, retrieved 2026-09-22

Notes

  1. The Fig. numbers are those on sheet 1.
Name
Class
Date
Sheet
2 of 2
Drawing
Battery and sources Labelled reference
Style
US style
From
circuitsymbols.com
Licence
CC BY 4.0