Der Mathematikunterricht 54(1), pp. 24-34.
ISSN/ISBN: Not available at this time. DOI: Not available at this time.
Note - this is a foreign language paper: GER
Abstract: There is a stochastic phenomenon that can be observed in the real world, Benfords law: While working with log tables people discovered that the first pages showed much more signs of wear than the ones behind. What explanation can be found? Do numbers with low first digits occur more often in the real world? Why should nature have a preference for small first digits? Why dont lottery numbers behave like this? The author presents different contexts where Benfords law can be observed, and gives rather plausible reasons why the real world favours small first digits. Afterwards, he describes what can be done with this knowledge, and how Benfords law is used for tax inspectors investigation.
Bibtex:
@article{,
author = {Humenberger, Hans},
title = {Eine elementarmathematische Begründung des Benford-Gesetzes},
year = {2008},
journal = {Der Mathematikunterricht},
volume = {54},
pages = {24-34},
}
Reference Type: Journal Article
Subject Area(s): General Interest