Nomograms, sometimes referred to as alignment charts, are graphical calculators closely related to the
old-fashioned slide rule. Before the advent of handheld calculators,
nomograms were extensively used by engineers for design calculations. Despite
the rapid advance of computational power, they are
still of practical use in situations where it is
convenient to be able to refer to typical values of the important
parameters in the units most commonly employed for specific technical disciplines.
This Nomogram Program is a JAVA applet which allows the user to
create a customized nomogram relating three (3) parameters. An excellent
SURVEY of many different types
of nomograms has been compiled into a powerpoint presentation by Dr. Charles Pheatt of Emporia State University in Kansas.
The interactive graphical calculator tools created by this JAVA nomogram tool consist of three
parallel scales. The leftmost and rightmost scales are designated the
INPUT variables, and their values are usually known. The middle scale represents the designated
TARGET variable, which is a function of the INPUT variables. It is important to point out that
in fact any variable can be computed starting with the other two. The nomogram generator tool
allows the user to choose among five different canonic types for the
mathematical expression which the nomogram is to represent. These are:
addition, subtraction, division, multiplication, and
multiplication (with exponents). For each of the expressions, constant
multipliers may be specified for the input variables. Among other things, these multipliers are used to account for
scale factors necessitated by choice of units. In addition, minimum
and maximum values for the input variables, plus names
and units for all variables may be specified by the user.
The user can also adjust the spacing of the tick marks on each of the scales.
To use this program, CLICK HERE, then
follow the instructions to enter the required inputs
for the expression in the text boxes within the pop-up windows as they appear. Once all
parameters have been entered, the expression you have specified will appear at the
top of the screen in the applet window and the nomogram will appear below it. The
user can then use the mouse to draw a line across the nomogram by holding the button down
and dragging.
The program determines the values for the variables at the
intersections of the scales with the line that has been drawn. Values for all variables
in the output window are rounded off to three significant digits.
One example of an interactive nomogram is found in the Electrostatics Demonstration web page:
CLICK HERE to learn about it.
Another on-line, interactive nomogram, presented in a slightly different form, computes the Likelihood Ratio, a statistical measure used
in the biomedical field, Clink to the Minervation.com site to investigate it.
This nomogram replaces the straight lines of common nomogram construction with arrows pointing to the values on each of the scales, thereby
improving readability. Another site, overly chatty but
still containing very useful information about nomograms is at the MathForm site.
ABOUT THE NOMOGRAM PROGRAM PRINTING NOMOGRAMS NOMOGRAM REFERENCES EMAIL T. B. Jones