A Simple Explanation of Benford's Law

@article{Fewster2009ASE,
  title={A Simple Explanation of Benford's Law},
  author={Rachel M. Fewster},
  journal={The American Statistician},
  year={2009},
  volume={63},
  pages={26 - 32}
}
  • R. Fewster
  • Published 1 February 2009
  • Education
  • The American Statistician
Benfords Law occurs is, however, elusive. Many researchers have verified for themselves that the law is widely obeyed, but have also noted that the popular explanations are not completely satisfying. In this article we do nothing rigorous, but provide a simple, intuitive explanation of why and when the law applies. It is intended that the explanation should be accessible to school students and anyone with a basic knowledge of probability density curves and logarithms. 
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