1.7 KiB
date, categories
| date | categories | |
|---|---|---|
| 2025-05-18 |
|
What is law?
"What is comedy ? Is this comedy ? What about this?" - Limmy
Group Intercommunication Formula: n(n − 1)/2
The group intercommunication formula calculates the number of potential communication channels or connections in a network of n nodes.
Key Questions
- What is law?
- Who makes law?
- Did these people make law?
Historical Development
1975: The Mythical Man-Month
Fred Brooks identified that adding more people to a late software project makes it later, partly due to the increasing communication overhead calculated as n(n - 1)/2.
1983: Metcalfe's Law
Robert Metcalfe adapted the formula n(n - 1)/2 to describe the value of telecommunications networks (though the text notes "he stole it from Fred").
2008: Beckstrom's Law
Expanded the concept to: (n(n - 1)/2) * usage * time
2013: Reed's Law
David Reed proposed an alternative formula for the value of networks that support group formation: 2^N − N − 1
Related Concepts
Is this just Parkinson's Law(s) at work?
- Parkinson's Law: Work expands to fill the time available for its completion
- Law of Triviality: Organizations give disproportionate weight to trivial issues
The Mythical Man-Month Metcalfe's law Beckstrom's law Beckstrom's Networks Paper Reed's law Parkinson's law Law of triviality