Home / Glossary / Metcalfe’S Law

Metcalfe’S Law

Metcalfe’s Law is a concept explaining the increase in value for every user when a network has a growing amount of users. In essence, it describes the network’s value.

The law is named after Bob Metcalfe, the inventor of Ethernet. It was first proposed by Metcalfe in a paper published in 1980, and states that the value of a network is proportional to the square of the number of connected users of the system.

In other words, the more people that are using a network, the more valuable it becomes to each individual user.

This is because the value of a network lies in its ability to connect people and allow them to communicate with each other. The more people that are using the network, the more useful it becomes to each individual user.

The law has been found to hold true for a variety of networks, including social networks, communication networks, and even economic networks.

Metcalfe’s Law is a powerful tool for understanding the value of networks, and can be used to help make decisions about investing in or building new networks.



27 Dec 2023

Share this glosssary
bannar