How does increasing team size affect the number of communication lines?

• A. It increases non-linearly according to the formula n(n − 1) / 2
• B. It increases linearly with team size
• C. It decreases as team size grows
• D. It stays constant regardless of team size

Answer: (A)

When you have a team, each person needs a way to communicate with every other person. The total number of distinct pairs among n people is the combination n choose 2, which equals n(n−1)/2. So the potential communication lines grow quadratically as the team gets larger.

For example: 2 people have 1 line, 3 people have 3 lines, 4 people have 6 lines, and 5 people have 10 lines. This shows the growth is non-linear (quadratic), not linear. It also isn’t decreasing or staying the same as the team grows.

That’s why the correct choice expresses growth as n(n−1)/2.