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Data & ProbabilityStatistics

Benford's Law

In real data, numbers start with 1 six times more often than with 9

Town sizes, river lengths, prices: in any list of real numbers, one first digit turns up far more than the rest. Which, and why?

You'll find out

  • The digit that leads real numbers
  • Why growing things favor it
  • How it catches people faking data

Why it matters

Auditors and scientists use this odd pattern to flag faked numbers, and it shows how growth shapes the data around you.

About 4 min7 interactive slides · 5 questionsLesson 97 · Zone 11

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