Metcalfe's law

Metcalfe'sche the law is a rule of thumb, after the growing of the benefit of a communications system with the square of the number of participants. The law was first enunciated by Robert Metcalfe in regard to Ethernet networks for the.

Thus, if N is the number of possible participants of two compounds. With a large number of participants in this case is dominated by the term.

The Metcalfe'sche law explains many of the network effects of communication technologies such as the Internet or Usenet and can be illustrated also in the use of fax machines: a single fax machine is useless. But with every other device on the network will enhance the possibility of interaction, since the number of possible incoming and outgoing faxes increases.

Since the 1990s, in which several Western armies ushered in a transformation rule has been introduced in the technical communication networking. When leading in this respect Army, the U.S. armed forces, the Act in the network-oriented warfare entrance.