Length-independent Measure Of Software Complexity
Thorbjorn Andersson, K. Enholm, Aimo Törn · WIT transactions on information and communication technologies · 1970
A software complexity concept based on measurement theory is introduced. It is argued that a complexity measure conforming with our empirical understanding of complexity schould be independent of software length. In analogy with the formula for mass, volume and density the measure is defined by W(P) = L(P)c(P), where P is any piece of software, W(P) the effort in developing it, L(P] its length, and c(P) its complexity. The properties of the measure are discussed and it is found that some of the conflicts in desirable properties reported for other complexity measures are resolved.