Universality of Rank-Ordering Distributions in the Arts and Sciences
2009

Universality in Art & Science

publication Evidence: high

Author Information

Author(s): Martínez-Mekler Gustavo, Martínez Roberto Alvarez, del Río Manuel Beltrán, Mansilla Ricardo, Miramontes Pedro, Cocho Germinal

Primary Institution: Instituto de Ciencias Físicas, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México

Hypothesis

Is there a universal behavior in the way elements of a system are distributed according to their rank across various fields such as arts and sciences?

Conclusion

The study reveals a universal behavior in rank-ordered distributions across diverse phenomena in the arts and sciences.

Supporting Evidence

  • The study found that rank-ordered distributions are present in various fields including music, ecology, and social networks.
  • The proposed distribution model fits a wide range of data with high correlation coefficients.
  • The findings suggest a fundamental statistical explanation for the observed universal behavior.

Takeaway

This study found that many different things, like music and nature, follow the same pattern when we look at how they are ranked.

Methodology

The study analyzed rank-ordered distributions and proposed a two-parameter functional form for these distributions.

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

10.1371/journal.pone.0004791

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