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IEC 60375: Circuit Analysis Conventions — Standardized Symbol Rules for Current and Voltage Reference Directions
Every I Arrow and V Sign on Your Circuit Diagram Implicitly Follows IEC 60375
IEC 60375:2018 specifies conventions for current and voltage reference directions in electric and magnetic circuit analysis. Every circuit diagram an electrical engineering student draws — with its current arrows and voltage polarity signs — implicitly follows this standard.
| Convention | Rule | Application |
|---|---|---|
| Generator Convention | Positive current direction aligns with voltage rise | Sources, generators, batteries |
| Load Convention | Positive current direction aligns with voltage drop | Resistors, inductors, capacitors, loads |
A single convention error in large power system simulations can flip the sign of every node voltage and branch power — the numerical results are correct, but the physical interpretation is completely wrong. IEC 60375 prevents this by standardizing reference direction conventions globally.
TNLab — Circuit symbol conventions are the “grammar” of electrical engineering. Getting them wrong will not trigger a compiler error — but your results will be completely misleading.
