Metcalfe's law

American  

[met-kafs law] / ˈmɛt kæfs ˈlɔ /

noun

Telecommunications.

1. the principle that the value of a network is proportional to the square of the number of connected users: the more users there are in a system, the more value an individual perceives, considered against the cost of joining a network community.

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Etymology

Origin of Metcalfe's law

First recorded in 1990-95; named after Robert M. Metcalfe (born 1946), U.S engineer and entrepreneur who helped pioneer the internet in 1970 and invent the Ethernet

Example Sentences

Erb’s fair-value model is based on what’s known as Metcalfe’s law, which assumes that the value of a network is proportional to the square of how many members are in that network.

From MarketWatch • Feb. 10, 2026

Unlike other bitcoin fair-value models that have been advanced over the years, the Metcalfe’s law model passes this test.

From MarketWatch • Feb. 10, 2026

Silicon Valley’s version is Metcalfe’s law, named after one of the inventors of Ethernet, a pivotal technology for computer-to-computer contact.

From The New Yorker • Oct. 12, 2015

As Paul was growing up, a half generation before Reggie came of age, there was a coming together of these two fundamental computing principles, Moore’s law and Metcalfe’s law.

From "A Deadly Wandering: A Mystery, a Landmark Investigation, and the Astonishing Science of Attention in the Digital Age" by Matt Richtel

It’s not that the concepts eloquently captured by Metcalfe’s law were entirely new; networks had been developing, and their potential significance were defined in the latter half of the century.

From "A Deadly Wandering: A Mystery, a Landmark Investigation, and the Astonishing Science of Attention in the Digital Age" by Matt Richtel