Add to ORKGMore than 100 years ago it was predicted that the distribution of first digits of real world observations would not be uniform, but instead follow a trend where measurements with lower first digit (1,2,...) occur more frequently than those with higher first digits (...,8,9). This result has long been known by mathematicians but regarded as mere mathematical curiosity. In the physical sciences awareness of Benford’s law, as it became known, has been slow to spread. Recently the list of phenomena which follow the predictions of the law has expanded, and physical scientists have begun to find new ways to put it to practical use. Major scientific discoveries have often resulted from the chance recognition of a pattern or trend in observations. ...