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

It defines a different kind of change to the world and our lives, and indirectly would drive Paul’s eventual research: 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

He was, like so many fortunate Americans, a big beneficiary of 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