[weff]

Does 'steep learning curve' not mean the rate of learning (X: time and Y:knowledge) is high, thus a little effort outputs lots of knowledge?

[law]

Heh, I never actually took the time to think of the literal meaning of the phrase. Nevertheless, the quantity modified by 'steep' is in fact scalar and thus 'steep' affects only the magnitude. It reveals nothing about the underlying nature of the quantity, which could indeed be the inverse rate of learning or something like that.

[tedunangst]

That's what it's supposed to mean, but everyday usage is the opposite.

[batista]

No. It's not about plotting curves and axes.

It means you have a steep curve to climb to learn it --ie an allusion to climbing a mountain.