Frank Benford

Frank Albert Benford Jr.
Frank Albert Benford Jr.
Born	May 29, 1883; Johnstown, Pennsylvania
Died	December 4, 1948 (aged 65); Schenectady, New York
Alma mater	University of Michigan
Known for	Benford's Law
	Scientific career
Fields	Electrical Engineering; Physics
Institutions	General Electric

Frank Albert Benford Jr. (July 10, 1883[1] – December 4, 1948) was an American electrical engineer and physicist best known for rediscovering and generalizing Benford's Law, a statistical statement about the occurrence of digits in lists of data.[2]

Benford is also known for having devised, in 1937, an instrument for measuring the refractive index of glass.[1] An expert in optical measurements, he published 109 papers in the fields of optics and mathematics and was granted 20 patents on optical devices.

Early life

He was born in Johnstown, Pennsylvania.[1] His date of birth is given variously as May 29 or July 10, 1883.[1] At the age of 6 his family home was destroyed by the Johnstown Flood.[1]

Education

He graduated from the University of Michigan in 1910.

Career

Benford worked for General Electric, first in the Illuminating Engineering Laboratory for 18 years, then the Research Laboratory for 20 years until retiring in July 1948.

Death

He died suddenly at his home on December 4, 1948.

References

The Michigan Alumnus. 46. UM Libraries. 1939. p. 81.
Frank Benford (March 1938). "The law of anomalous numbers". Proceedings of the American Philosophical Society. 78 (4): 551–572. JSTOR 984802. (subscription required)

This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.

[:0-1] The Michigan Alumnus. 46. UM Libraries. 1939. p. 81.

[Benford-2] Frank Benford (March 1938). "The law of anomalous numbers". Proceedings of the American Philosophical Society. 78 (4): 551–572. JSTOR 984802. (subscription required)