Computing formulae and solving equations are essential elements of scientific analysis. While today digital tools are almost always applied, analog computing is a rich part of the larger history of science and technology. Graphical methods are an integral element of computing history and still find some use today. This paper presents the history of nomograms, a historically-relevant tool for solving mathematical problems in various branches of science and engineering; in particular, we consider their role in mechanical engineering, especially for education, and discuss their mathematical properties. Each nomogram is a graphical description of a specific mathematical equation, designed such that the solution can be found through a simple geometric construction that can be performed with a straightedge. By design, using nomograms requires little skills and can be done even in adverse environments; a solution of sufficient accuracy for most purposes can then be found in a very short time. Another important advantage of nomograms is that they offer clear insight on the relationships between the variables, an insight which can be lost by looking at a complex equation. First introduced in the late \(19^{\textrm{th}}\) century, nomograms were used by engineers and scientists due to their speed with respect to manual calculations, before being superseded by computers. While now mostly obsolete in practice, nomograms can still prove useful in workshops and teaching classes: we thus also discuss their educational applications and present a few original examples.

计算公式和求解方程是科学分析的基本要素。虽然今天几乎总是应用数字工具，但模拟计算是更广泛的科学技术史上的丰富内容。图形方法是计算历史不可或缺的组成部分，今天仍有一​​些用途。本文介绍了列线图的历史，列线图是解决科学和工程各分支数学问题的历史相关工具；特别是，我们考虑了它们在机械工程中的作用，尤其是在教育方面，并讨论了它们的数学特性。每个列线图都是对特定数学方程式的图形描述，其设计使得可以通过可以用直尺执行的简单几何构造找到解决方案。通过设计，使用列线图需要很少的技巧，即使在恶劣的环境中也能做到；然后可以在很短的时间内找到对大多数用途具有足够精度的解决方案。列线图的另一个重要优势是它们提供了对变量之间关系的清晰洞察，而查看复杂方程式时可能会失去这种洞察力。最早推出是在后期\(19^{\textrm{th}}\)世纪，在被计算机取代之前，诺模图因其相对于手动计算的速度而被工程师和科学家使用。虽然诺模图现在在实践中大多已过时，但在研讨会和教学课程中仍然可以证明是有用的：因此我们也讨论了它们的教育应用并提供了一些原始示例。