science

Jipp curve

Jipp curve is a science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Jipp curve rather than just read about it. In short: Jipp curve is a term for a graph plotting the number (density) of telephones against wealth as measured by the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) per capita. The Jipp curve shows across countries that teledensity increases with an increase in wealth or economic development (positive correlation), especially beyond a certain income.

Key takeaways

Jipp curve belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Jipp curve to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Jipp curve from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Jipp curve is a term for a graph plotting the number (density) of telephones against wealth as measured by the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) per capita. The Jipp curve shows across countries that teledensity increases with an increase in wealth or economic development (positive correlation), especially beyond a certain income. In other words, a country's telephone penetration is proportional to its population's buying power. The relationship is sometimes also termed Jipp Law or Jipp's Law. The Jipp curve has been called "[p]robably the most familiar diagram in the economics of telecommunications". The curve is named after A. Jipp, who was one of the first researchers to publish about the relationship in 1963. The number of telephones was traditionally measured by the number of landlines, but more recently, mobile phones have been used for the graphs as well. It has even been argued that the Jipp curve (or rather its measures) should be adjusted for countries where mobile phones are more common than landlines, namely for developing countries in Africa. The term has sometimes been used in analogy for other curves as well, for example as a "postal Jipp curve" plotting letters posted per capita and GDP per capita.

References

External links The Jipp curve for Africa (2004) Redrawing the Jipp curve for Africa (article by ITU director Tim Kelly) Telephones portal

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Jipp curve

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Jipp curve claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Jipp curve before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Jipp curve ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Jipp curve

In research: Jipp curve appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Jipp curve in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Jipp curve is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Telephony, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Jipp curve outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Jipp curve in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Jipp curve means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Jipp curve out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Jipp curve in simple terms?

Why does Jipp curve matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Jipp curve?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Jipp curve.