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Joined: Jun 2001
Posts: 2
stranger
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OP
stranger
Joined: Jun 2001
Posts: 2 |
If the equation "learning curve = acquired knowledge / elapsed time" is true, why do I regularly hear difficult tasks being described as having a "steep learning curve"? Mathematically speaking, a task which takes a long time to learn would have a flatter curve than a task which is quickly learned.
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Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 1,156
old hand
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old hand
Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 1,156 |
Is a task with a "steep learning curve" necessarily difficult? I always thought it meant a large numerator, that is, too much to learn in a short time, which would also give large values for "learning curve" according to your equation.
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Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 13,858
Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 13,858 |
I think thowens is right. Whoever coined the phrase was associating "steep" with "difficult" and simply did not make a diagram of the graph he was thinking of .Fuzzy thinking.
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Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 1,156
old hand
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old hand
Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 1,156 |
One thing about this group is that it can completely destroy your impressions of words.  I honestly felt it meant (as I said above) too much learning in too short a time - therefore a steep climb to get to a plateau where you could be productive. That was how I'd always interpreted it, anyway!
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Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 13,803
Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 13,803 |
Anyone coining a new cliché should be required to have degrees in math, astronomy, mediæval history, art history, philosophy, biology and astrophysics at the very least. Probably quantum mechanics, too.
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Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 428
addict
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addict
Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 428 |
When I picture "the learning curve" graph, the x-axis is "time" and the y-axis is "proficiency". A skill with a steep learning curve is one where the graph skims the x-axis for a while, but at some point (when enlightenment is reached) the graph shoots up, with proficiency increasing exponentially. Chess (and other strategy games) are like this - much easier for an expert to improve her game than a novice. Games like Othello and Go, on the other hand have a graph where proficiency rises quickly at first, but soon plateaus (or continues rising, but slowly) - "a minute to learn, a lifetime to master" kind of thing. Saying that something difficult has a steep learning curve is misusing the phrase, not misdrawing the graph, IMHO.
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Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 1,156
old hand
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old hand
Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 1,156 |
Hmm...that's a good idea, Faldage!
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Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 1,156
old hand
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old hand
Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 1,156 |
This is great - I had no idea how different everyone's mental images of learning curves were! 
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Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 13,858
Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 13,858 |
" I couldn't fail to disagree less "
Dear Faldage: How marvelously confusing.
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Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 13,803
Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 13,803 |
just what I choose it to mean, neither more, nor less. The question is, which is to be master...
H. Dumpty
Linguistic Philosopher and Free Lance Fool
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