The Meaning of "Steep Learning Curve" Best answer on the web

Posted in: darrelrussell.com edit
07 Jan 2009
  • My roomates and I just finished a three-hour conversation about the meaning of the term 'steep learning curve.' Although the issue is still unresolved (despite several Google searches), we have boiled down the root of our problem into three precise questions: 1) Does the term 'learning curve' apply to people or activities? 2) What is the opposite of a 'steep learning curve' ? And the ultimate question: 3) What does it mean to have a 'steep learning curve'? Assuming this question is answered clearly, and with a minumum of ambivalence, I'd place a bid of $10 on these questions. Thank You Mr. Google, Dan Greenblatt Matt Morriss Venu Nemani


  • You have a very interesting question here. I volunteer to stand in for ‘Mr. Google’ and answer your questions, most of which I’ll answer from the top of my head. Let me answer question number 3 first since that is the basic one. Based on the resources I have found on the Internet, what I can say is that a ‘steep learning curve’ is the capability to learn something very easily or quickly. Learning curve means how long a person learns something. The idea is that you have a line graph. The horizontal axis stands for time, and the vertical axis stands for the progress in learning, so the higher the line goes, the more the person has learned. A steep curve means that the person learned more in the least time, so imagine the graph’s line going steeply upward from the zero corner. Since learning doesn’t always have a steady pace, the line often appears as a curve. “Learning Curve” is basically a psychology term, so you can read about it first in psychology books. On your second question, I guess the opposite of the steep learning curve would be the shallow learning curve. This means that a person learns slowly. Imagine the line on the graph rising very slowly. The “Learning Curve” is normally applied to people, yes. You can say “Jean has a steeper learning curve in Flight Simulator than Jenny,” so this means Jean can learn to use Flight Simulator faster than Jenny can. But it can also be applied to activities and things to be learned, such as learning to use a computer program. For example, if you ask “Does this program have a steep learning curve?”, and a friend answers, “No,” it means that the program is easy to learn. Websites found: Steep Learning Curve - From Topica, Inc. http://www.crh.noaa.gov/library/Grammar/Learn-curve.html INSIDE Idaho Definition Engine - Definition of “Learning Curve” http://inside.uidaho.edu/tutorial/gis/engine.asp?term=learning_curve The Birth of an Open Source (Free) Cobol Compiler - with a definition of Learning Curve http://objectz.com/columnists/howard&tom/ Myth: ODBMSs have a steep learning curve http://www.service-architecture.com/object-oriented-databases/articles/myth_odbms_have_a_steep_learning_curve.html - Here’s an example of “learning curve” applied to a non-person. The article tries to prove that ODBMs are easy to learn. Google search terms: steep learning curve "learning curve" definition I hope this has been a most helpful answer. If you have any problem with it, do please post a Request for Clarification and I shall respond. Thank you.