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Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
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Dr. Bill helpfully comments: Dear Faldage: How marvelously confusing.
Aw, shucks, Dr. Bill, just doin' muh job.
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Joined: Aug 2000
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Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Aug 2000
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Joined: Dec 2000
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Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
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Now there's glory for you!
Nothing like a good glory to polish off a Thursday (or fire up a Friday for that matter).
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Joined: Mar 2001
Posts: 163
member
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>equation "learning curve = acquired knowledge / elapsed time"
I think you equation has an error in it. Instead of elapsed time it should be the time to some deadline. For example, taking on a new position possessing a lot of complexities and being told to learn as much as you can before the incumbent retires. That is a steep learning curve. The opposite would be if you were elected to the back benches, where all you must master is the art of standing up on occasion as directed by the whip.
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Joined: Mar 2001
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Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
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Socrates said: "Now I know how little I know." Is this where the "curve" becomes a complete "dive"?
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Posts: 618
addict
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addict
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Difficult tasks have a steeper learning curve than simple ones when the time in which the task is to be learnt is not changed. In this situation the denominator (time) remains constant, whereas the numerator (knowledge) increases. For the learning curve to retain the same gradient, time taken for learning needs to increase in proportion to the difficulty of the task.
To me, undergoing a steep learning curve relates more to the time necessary to accomplish the task, rather than the difficulty of the task itself. Even an easy task will have a steep learning curve if it has to be completed quickly. The denominator (time) is crucial in determining the gradient of the learning curve, while the numerator (knowledge) has little influence.
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Joined: Mar 2000
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enthusiast
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enthusiast
Joined: Mar 2000
Posts: 315 |
Saying that something difficult has a steep learning curve is misusing the phrase, not misdrawing the
graph
Unless..
we can look at the (so called) inverse function, giving the time required to obtain a given skill.
This one is very steep when a large amount of time is needed to reach a given skill.
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Joined: Mar 2000
Posts: 1,027
old hand
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old hand
Joined: Mar 2000
Posts: 1,027 |
Instead of elapsed time it should be the time to some deadline.
Fascinating how opinions here seem to segretate neatly into two classes:
a. The pragmatic view: The steepness of the curve is imposed by the task. The level of skill to be attained is clearly defined. Learning is learning to do.
b. The philosophical view: The learning process is open ended: learning is learning to know. The steepness of the curve is a (positive) subjective experience, a measure of success.
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Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
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too much learning in too short a time
Interesting that everyone carries an image of a graph line – where does that come from? (don’t say 0,0!)
Surely the meaning is little to do with time but everything to do with effort – so the equation, plotting Effort on the Y axis, is more like:
Effort = Accomplishment³
Thus the implication is that to gain each further increment of accomplishment costs an escalation of effort, I reckon.
But a quick google shows this is a term now so badly hackneyed by the computer industry that we should probably all try to excise it from our repertoire anyway!
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Joined: Feb 2001
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Effort = Accomplishment³
giving an exponential curve. I think the "curve"="graph" just makes more sense than "curve"="a bend in the road", but how can a (graph)curve be steep? The average gradient (or a straight line) can be steep, but not the curve itself.
I've always taken it to mean the amount to learn is a lot for the time available, whether that be a simple task in 5 minutes or a major skill in two weeks.
But I agree, it has become a cliche, and we should avoid cliches like the plague.
Rod
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