What Is a Nomogram and Why Would It Interest Me? (opens in new tab)

(lefakkomies.github.io)

46 pointsEridanus24h ago11 comments

11 comments

10 comments · 6 top-level

cscheid3h ago· 4 in thread

Seriously, though, there's one nomogram you (yes you) should know about and have it well-enough engraved in your mind's eye that you can use it with eyes closed. A nomogram for Bayes' theorem: https://www.ovid.com/journals/nejm/abstract/10.1056/nejm1975...

senkora2h ago

That is cool, although it took me awhile to understand it because the posterior probability is on the left and the prior probability is on the right, and because it uses D=Disease and T=Test when I am used to seeing D=Data.

kqr2h ago

Neat. This is based on Bayes' rule in its odds form[1], or more specifically in log-odds form, where evidence is additive[2].

[1]: https://entropicthoughts.com/bayes-rule-odds-form

[2]: https://entropicthoughts.com/sensitivity-counts-against-you

riedel2h ago

Actually I find nomograms in log form really cool for making naive bayes classifiers 'explainable'. One can even add density for continuous values.

IMHO this is so much nicer than e.g. decisions tree visualizations (which everyone quotes for the most explainable AI models).

tgv2h ago

It is indeed a great tool for visualizing Bayesian relations. You can even "feel" the sensitivity.

analogpixel54m ago

video explaining what a Nomogram is and how to make them by hand https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GCd9hANNLsw

alnwlsn2h ago

If you like things like this I can recommend you check out the Chris Staecker youtube channel. He covers all sorts of tools people used to use to do math before computers and calculators, and there are a lot of them. Some of the things people came up with to do what today would be considered relatively simple math are pretty clever, pretty complex, or both.

https://www.youtube.com/@ChrisStaecker

QuesnayJr30m ago

There's an old paper about the mathematics of nomograms that I found interested when I stumbled across it: https://doi.org/10.1016/0001-8708(65)90042-3

LelouBil1h ago

I read the title as "Nonogram" (Picross) at first !

nok22kon3h ago

I think the Numogram is more interesting, highly relevant today due to AI happenings

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