title: Is the Mythical Man Month communication paths truly n^2?
body: <p>Wouldn't it be closer to:</p>
  
  <p><code>n * (n - 1) / 2</code></p>
  
  <p>The above formula is the answer to this middle school Math-team problem:</p>
  
  <p>"You have n people in a room and they all shake hands with everyone else.  How many handshakes took place?"</p>
  
  <p>Wouldn't this also apply to the number of people communicating within a software project?</p>
  
  <p><strong>Disclaimer</strong></p>
  
  <p>I haven't read the book (yet), but I've seen the <code>n^2</code> formula referenced elsewhere.</p>