by K1NS » Tue Apr 09, 2013 2:58 pm
Chris Peterson wrote:
Per a previous discussion here, "nomograph" isn't quite the right word. As Art suggested, "slide" is better, since the values are always read off horizontally (a nomograph typically involves a calculation of two variables, made by drawing a line between those values in a pair of columns, and reading the answer where that line intersects a third column).
Actually, nomographs (or nomograms) can involve several variables. and the lines may or may not be straight. According to the Oxford English Dictionary, nomograms have been around since about 1909. The name comes from the Greek word "nomo" which simply means law, so nomograms are meant to facilitate calculations according to some mathematical or physical law, such as redshift in the universe.
I guess the name "slide" was suggested because this nomograph has a cursory (no pun intended) resemblance to a slide rule. And as a matter of fact, some nomographs
are physical devices with cursors and reticules.
I am not aware of the previous discussion, so maybe my comments have already been covered. But I still believe this "table" or "slide" is best called a nomograph.
[quote="Chris Peterson"]
Per a previous discussion here, "nomograph" isn't quite the right word. As Art suggested, "slide" is better, since the values are always read off horizontally (a nomograph typically involves a calculation of two variables, made by drawing a line between those values in a pair of columns, and reading the answer where that line intersects a third column).[/quote]
Actually, nomographs (or nomograms) can involve several variables. and the lines may or may not be straight. According to the Oxford English Dictionary, nomograms have been around since about 1909. The name comes from the Greek word "nomo" which simply means law, so nomograms are meant to facilitate calculations according to some mathematical or physical law, such as redshift in the universe.
I guess the name "slide" was suggested because this nomograph has a cursory (no pun intended) resemblance to a slide rule. And as a matter of fact, some nomographs [i]are[/i] physical devices with cursors and reticules.
I am not aware of the previous discussion, so maybe my comments have already been covered. But I still believe this "table" or "slide" is best called a nomograph.