From Benford's Law to Scientific Explanation
Disciplines
Analysis | Probability
Abstract (300 words maximum)
This project investigates the first digit probabilities of real-world functions. Environmental data functions were sourced and transformed to contain statistically fair ranges. Then, the first digit probabilities of the functions were compared to the expected probabilities. Four different types of functions were compared, and each function had unique results. The analysis showed that Benford’s Law can be used to verify the validity of data. Additionally, Benford’s Law may be applied to identify the type of function that data is.
Academic department under which the project should be listed
CSM - Mathematics
Primary Investigator (PI) Name
Irina Pashchenko
From Benford's Law to Scientific Explanation
This project investigates the first digit probabilities of real-world functions. Environmental data functions were sourced and transformed to contain statistically fair ranges. Then, the first digit probabilities of the functions were compared to the expected probabilities. Four different types of functions were compared, and each function had unique results. The analysis showed that Benford’s Law can be used to verify the validity of data. Additionally, Benford’s Law may be applied to identify the type of function that data is.