title: Equipartitions and a distribution for numbers: A statistical model for Benford's law.
abstract: A statistical model for the fragmentation of a conserved quantity is analyzed, using the principle of maximum entropy and the theory of partitions. Upper and lower bounds for the restricted partitioning problem are derived and applied to the distribution of fragments. The resulting power law directly leads to Benford's law for the first digits of the parts.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physics, Williams College, Williamstown, Massachusetts 01267.|Department of Mathematics and Statistics, Williams College, Williamstown, Massachusetts 01267.
authors.forename: Joseph R
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Iafrate
authors.affiliation: Department of Mathematics and Statistics, Williams College, Williamstown, Massachusetts 01267.
authors.forename: Steven J
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Miller
authors.affiliation: Department of Physics, Williams College, Williamstown, Massachusetts 01267.
authors.forename: Frederick W
authors.initials: FW
authors.lastname: Strauch