Learning curve?

Factual Questions
1

The term ‘learning curve’ is bandied about ad nauseam in BizSpeak, but is there such a thing as a learning curve and what shape is it.

Is it a plot of the effort that is required to learn a subject against time (in which case it would start out steep and level off somewhat):


                xx
           x
E       x
F    x
F   x
O  x
R  x
T x
  x
T  I  M  E [sym]®[/sym]

or is it a plot of the amount learned against time, in which case it would be something like this:


K                               x
N                      x
O                  x
W                x
L               x
E              x
D            x
G          x
E       x
  x
T  I  M  E [sym]®[/sym]

or is it just a term that has no real meaning.

2

Perhaps it is the rate of learning done in an average university term, in which case it would look like this:


                    x
                   x
E                  x
F                  x
F                 x
O                 x
R   x            x
T  x x          x
  x    x x x x x
T  I  M  E [sym]®[/sym]

Gp

3

hehe, good one grimpixie

Mangetout: You had it in the first one. “Learning Curve” is effort required over time. A topic where you have to learn certain concepts before you can even begin to tackle the real subject would be considered to have a “steep” learning curve, like your first graph.