Power law distributions in class relationships

Abstract

Power law distributions have been found in many natural and social phenomena, and more recently in the source code and run-time characteristics of Object-Oriented (OO) systems. A power law implies that small values are extremely common, whereas large values are extremely rare. We identify twelve new power laws relating to the static graph structures of Java programs. The graph structures analyzed represented different forms of OO coupling, namely, inheritance, aggregation, interface, parameter type and return type. Identification of these new laws provides the basis for predicting likely features of classes in future developments. The research ties together work in object-based coupling and World Wide Web structures.