S curve and J curve

[karalengeman]

Can anybody explain the S curve and the J curve in lehmans terms for me? I am very science ignorant and would appreciate the help.

[b1163]

jcurve = exponential growth...it is when population size increases at constant rate because everyone has access to abundant food (ideal conditions of living)

scurve = logistic growth ... it is when the rate of the population slows down as it reaches the carrying capacity (when the environment cant longer handle the number of species)

[Julie5]

J curve must be the hockey stick curve (used to illustrate the vast increase in global warming since industrialisation)

[Julie5]

"in lehmans terms "

May I just correct your English here please?!

I smiled when I read this, and can undertand why a non-English person should think it should be 'Lehman's'.....

the actual word is 'layman' - ie, originally, someone who was not a priest (ie, 'lay' - an old fashioned word for non-clerics), and has been adopted to mean any 'ordinary' person, or non-specialist in comparison with, say, a biologist. You've used it completely correctly, just not know the (rather obscure!) origin of the word.

My compliments however on your use of English (speaking as someone who only speaks one language myself!)

Kind regards, Julie.

PS - don't forget you need to say "In layman's terms" - with the apostrophe just before the 's' because it is only 'one layman' you are referring to. (Apostrophes are tricky things!)