Skip to main content
Log in

Benford’s law and distribution functions of sequences in (0, 1)

  • Published:
Mathematical Notes Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Applying the theory of distribution functions of sequences x n ∈ [0, 1], n = 1, 2, ..., we find a functional equation for distribution functions of a sequence x n and show that the satisfaction of this functional equation for a sequence x n is equivalent to the fact that the sequence x n to satisfies the strong Benford law. Examples of distribution functions of sequences satisfying the functional equation are given with an application to the strong Benford law in different bases. Several direct consequences from uniform distribution theory are shown for the strong Benford law.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. S. Newcomb, “Note on the frequency of use of the different digits in natural numbers,” Amer. J. Math. 4, 39–40 (1881).

    Article  MathSciNet  Google Scholar 

  2. F. Benford, “The law of anomalous numbers,” Proc. Amer. Phil. Soc. 78, 551–572 (1938).

    Google Scholar 

  3. R. A. Raimi, “The first digit problem,” Amer. Math. Monthly 83(7), 521–538 (1976).

    Article  MATH  MathSciNet  Google Scholar 

  4. P. Diaconis, “The distribution of leading digits and uniform distribution mod 1,” Ann. Probab. 5(1), 72–81 (1977).

    Article  MATH  MathSciNet  Google Scholar 

  5. S. Kunoff, “N! has the first digit property,” Fibonacci Quart. 25(4), 365–367 (1987).

    MATH  MathSciNet  Google Scholar 

  6. P. Schatte, “On mantissa distribution in computing and Benford’s law,” J. Inform. Process. Cybernet. 24(9), 443–455 (1988).

    MATH  MathSciNet  Google Scholar 

  7. K. Nagasaka, S. Kanemistu, and J.-S. Shiue, “Benford’s law: the logarithmic law of first digit,” in Colloq. Math. Soc. János Bolyai, Vol. 51: Number Theory: Elementary and Analytic, Proc. Conf., Budapest, 1987 (North-Holland, Amsterdam, 1990), Vol. 51, pp. 361–391.

    Google Scholar 

  8. L. Kuipers and H. Niederreiter, Uniform Distribution of Sequences., in Pure Appl. Math. (John Wiley & Sons, New York, 1974).

    Google Scholar 

  9. M. Drmota and R. F. Tichy, Sequences, Discrepancies and Applications, in Lecture Notes in Math. (Springer-Verlag, Berlin, 1997), Vol. 1651.

    Google Scholar 

  10. O. Strauch and Š. Porubský, Distribution of Sequences: ASampler, in Schr. Slowak. Akad. Wiss. (Peter Lang, Frankfurt am Main, 2005), Vol. 1.

    Google Scholar 

  11. A. I. Pavlov, “On distribution of fractional parts and Benford’s law,” Izv. Akad. Nauk SSSR Ser. Mat. 45(4), 760–774 (1981).

    MATH  MathSciNet  Google Scholar 

  12. P. Kostyrko, M. Mačaj, T. Šalát, and O. Strauch, “On statistical limit points,” Proc. Amer. Math. Soc. 129(9), 2647–2654 (2001).

    Article  MATH  MathSciNet  Google Scholar 

  13. G. Pólya and G. Szegő, Aufgaben und Lehrsätze aus der Analysis, Vols. 1 and 2, in Grundlehren Math. Wiss. (Springer-Verlag, Berlin, 1964), Vol. 19.

    Google Scholar 

  14. A. R. Giuliano and O. Strauch, “On weighted distribution functions of sequences,” Unif. Distrib. Theory 3(1), 1–18 (2008).

    MATH  MathSciNet  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to V. Baláž.

Additional information

Dedicated to the memory of Anatolii Alekseevich Karatsuba

Published in Russian in Matematicheskie Zametki, 2010, Vol. 88, No. 4, pp. 485–501.

The text was submitted by the authors in English

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Baláž, V., Nagasaka, K. & Strauch, O. Benford’s law and distribution functions of sequences in (0, 1). Math Notes 88, 449–463 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1134/S0001434610090178

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1134/S0001434610090178

Key words

Navigation