Learning curve - was: Re: Tutorials on Windows GUI programming with

[Bengt Richter]

On 9 Nov 2004 15:06:20 GMT, mjackson at alumni.caltech.edu (Mark Jackson) wrote:

>Gerhard Haering <gh at ghaering.de> writes:
>> 
>> --cNdxnHkX5QqsyA0e
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>> 
>> On Tue, Nov 09, 2004 at 08:47:08AM -0600, Larry Bates wrote:
>> > [...] the learning curve > is pretty steep.
>> 
>> Anybody care to explain the term "learning curve" to me?
>> 
>> I'd assume that you have time on the x-axis, and knowledge on the
>> y-axis. So a steep curve would mean that you know much in short time.
>
>One would think so, but. . .
>
>> But that doesn't seem to be how the terms steep/flat learning curve is
>> used :-S
>
>Evidently it's
>
>          |
>          |
>          |
>          |
>Effort    |
>Required  |
>          |
>          |
>          |___________________
>                Capability
>
IMO it's more like

 
      Capability level
           ^
    Guru --+
           |            __
    Pro  --+           /x
           |          |xx
           |      ___/xxx
Useful Wkr-+     /xxxxxxx
           |  __/ xxxxxxx
  Newbie --+ /    xxxxxxx
           |/_    xxxxxxx
           +------+------+-----------> Time
           ^      ^      ^
           |      |      |
          Job    Start Project
         Start  Useful Deadline
                 Work
 
I.e., if you have a near deadline and have to learn a lot
in order to produce the required work (x), then d<capability>/dt
is the slope of the learning curve, and it will have to be steep.

Whether one has the horsepower for rapid ascent is another matter,
but the fun in python is a good fuel additive ;-)

Regards,
Bengt Richter