6.1 Numbers Are More Likely to Begin with 1 2 or 3

6.1 Numbers Are More Likely to Begin with 1 2 or 3

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Benford’s Law is a mathematical phenomenon where there are a higher frequency of numbers that start with 1, 2, and 3 than there are that start with 7, 8, or 9. This phenomenon can be observed in any groups of numbers, from bank account balances, to casualties of war, to baseball statistics. ¹

For example, bank account balances in New York are 30.1% likely to begin with 1, 17.6% likely to begin with 2, and only 4.6% likely to begin with 9, making it six times more likely that an account balance starts with 1 versus 9. Benford’s Law has been used in fraud investigations, to identify irregularities in bookkeeping, for example.

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• See: [[7.1 The Finer the Measurement the Greater the Distance]] for a geometric phenomenon which is likewise astounding.

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