I tire of having to explain this. If the learning curve is flat, it means it is difficult to learn. If the learning curve is steep, it means it easy to learn.
If the learning curve is flat, it means you are spending a lot time and effort without the learning going up much. If it is steep, you quickly gain learning. Rise over run.
This is obvious. And yet, the whole word is stupid, because it is constantly reversed.
Jeopardy has now weighed in. Jeopardy, being populated by, and accountable to, smart people, defined it the correct way.
Meta-analysis: If you think a steep learning curve means something hard, your own learning curve is flat. If you think a flat learning curve means something hard, your own learning curve is steep. And if you don’t understand this paragraph, your learning curve is flat.
Respect to Dr. Fiveash! I didn’t know it was the other nine who killed the tenth. Cold!
SNAFU: I’m not hardcore on this one. The situation is F’d up because the system means that is a normal state. Is that a normal mistake? I dunno.
There is one way where the other phrasing of ‘learning curve’ can be correct: if time is limited. If you only have a short amount of time before you have to be knowledgeable on the subject, the learning curve has to be steep, or you will be unprepared.
Ooh, are we on language peeves? I have two.
SNAFU: Situation Normal All F*cked Up. People use this for a normal mistake. It isn’t. The important part is “situation normal”; things are bad, and the rules and/or system and/or bureaucracy is why things are bad. Southwest Airlines was a snafu.
Decimate: deci. One tenth. It is right there in the name. And it is a very specific Roman military punishment. The soldiers divide into groups of ten and draw lots. Whoever loses gets killed by the other nine. I know that the other usage is more common, but I hate losing a cool specific meaning like that. Respect to Dr. Fiveash!