When two lines cross each other, confusion can arise about whether two independent lines just happen to cross one another, or whether four lines all meet at a common point. For many diagrams, no clarification is necessary because only one interpretation is possible. However, when clarification is required, two different notations are available:

  1. Jogs are also known as jumps or crossovers. They're small loops used to show one line jumping over another with no common point implied by the intersection. When no jog is present, the intersecting lines are assumed to meet at a common point.

  2. Junction dots are the opposite of jogs and are commonly found in circuit or wiring diagrams where the notation originated. However, junction dot notation is increasingly popular in a wide variety of technical diagrams. When two or more lines meet at a common point, a dot indicates that the intersection is not simply a coincidental crossing.
jogs and junction dots