| benprob {FunWithNumbers} | R Documentation |
Generate random numbers based on the Benford distribution
Description
This function produces numbers whose distribution is based on Benford's Law of the occurrence of the values 1 through 9 in the first digit of numbers.
Usage
benprob(numsamp = 100, numbase = 10)
Arguments
numsamp |
How many values to generate. |
numbase |
Specify the base system (binary, octal, decimal, or whatever is desired) in which to apply the Benford distribution. The default is "10," i.e. decimal. |
Details
"Benford's Law," https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benford%27s_law can be used to assess the "true" randomness of demographic data. Probably its most well-known use has been to detect fraudulent patterns in voting and investment returns claimed by various fund operators. The probability function is prob(d) = log(d+1) - log(d), where d can take on the values 1:(log_base_in_use -1) .The data generated with this function can be used to calculate various statistics such as variance, skew, etc., which can then be compared with the real-world sample set being analyzed.
Value
A vector of random values.
Author(s)
Carl Witthoft, carl@witthoft.com
References
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benford%27s_law https://projecteuclid.org/euclid.ss/1177009869/
Examples
samps <- benprob(1000)
sd(samps)
hist(samps)