It's curious to see the word nomogram surfacing again (at least in this context). I stopped using it after I realized that people didn't understand what I was talking about.
I can't remember how I came by the word except it was commonplace to see in textbooks and references when referring to diagrams/tables/charts combinations. For example, a diagrammatic representation of sliderule scales etc. in a textbook would have a comment to the effect 'the monograph in figure (a) illustrates the results/correlation of...' etc.
Nomogram's use in technical references has never struck me as strange, in fact it's the appropriate word to use when making such references. Thus it'd be interesting to know why the word has fallen out of favor in recent years.
Edit: I don't think the use of calculators is the full reason the word has fallen out of favor as we've more graphic representations of data as the consequence of computers now than before. It seems to me it's possible that the word has dropped out of favor with the less formal more simplified language used in texts these days.
I think it's because there isn't a need for a catch-all word. If it's a plot/chart style of nomogram, for example, we just call it a plot or a chart. I never need to convey the general idea of graphical computation. I do think it's related to the prevalence of computers.
I can't remember how I came by the word except it was commonplace to see in textbooks and references when referring to diagrams/tables/charts combinations. For example, a diagrammatic representation of sliderule scales etc. in a textbook would have a comment to the effect 'the monograph in figure (a) illustrates the results/correlation of...' etc.
Nomogram's use in technical references has never struck me as strange, in fact it's the appropriate word to use when making such references. Thus it'd be interesting to know why the word has fallen out of favor in recent years.
Edit: I don't think the use of calculators is the full reason the word has fallen out of favor as we've more graphic representations of data as the consequence of computers now than before. It seems to me it's possible that the word has dropped out of favor with the less formal more simplified language used in texts these days.