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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

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