Searcharxiv⌕ Search
Home/Archive/arXiv

arXiv · 2103.11900

Study of a measure of efficiency as a tool for applying the principle of least effort to the derivation of the Zipf and the Pareto laws

A. El Kaabouchi·F. X. Machu·J. Cocks·R. Wang·Y. Y. Zhu·Q. A. Wang
View original source ↗Read source document ↗Export metadata ↓

Abstract

The principle of least effort is believed to be a universal rule for living systems. Its application to the derivation of the power law probability distributions of living systems has long been challenging. Recently, a measure of efficiency was proposed as a tool of deriving Zipf s and Pareto s laws directly from the principle of least effort. The present work is a further investigation of this efficiency measure from a mathematical point of view. The aim is to get further insight into its properties and usefulness as a metric of performance. We address some key mathematical properties of this efficiency such as its sign, uniqueness and robustness. We also look at the relationship between this measure and other properties of the system of interest such as inequality and uncertainty, by introducing a new method for calculating non-negative continuous entropy.

Explore related subjects

math.PRcs.ITmath.IT

Keep this discovery

BibTeXRIS

A. El Kaabouchi, F. X. Machu, J. Cocks, R. Wang, Y. Y. Zhu, Q. A. Wang. 2021-01-19. Study of a measure of efficiency as a tool for applying the principle of least effort to the derivation of the Zipf and the Pareto laws. https://arxiv.org/abs/2103.11900

Cite the original work for its findings. Save a collection to share your selection of sources.

KEEP EXPLORING

Related papers

arXiv2026

Averaging principles for nonautonomous multiscale stochastic Burgers equations with reflection

In this paper, we study averaging principles for nonautonomous multiscale stochastic Burgers equations with reflection. First, we derive a general averaging principle applicable to such equations under minimal assumptions. Subsequently, since the coefficients of the obtained averaged equation still depend on the small scaling parameter $\e$, we impose either periodic or asymptotic conditions on the coefficients, thereby obtain two distinct averaged equations whose coefficients are independent of $\e$ and establish two averaging principles. Stopping times and Khasminskii's time discretization schemes play an important role. Finally, a concrete example is provided to illustrate the applicability and validity of the theoretical results.

math.PR↗
arXiv2026

Spectral properties of Random Matrices

We give the theoretical foundations of random matrix theory through the definitions of a random matrix, a random probability measure and the corresponding empirical spectral distribution. The technical tool we use is the Stieltjes transform method through which we prove optimal convergence of the empirical spectral distribution of random sample covariance matrices to the deterministic Marchenko-Pastur distribution. We also give new results about the rigidity of the eigenvalues of this random sample covariance matrix and the rate of their convergence. We then define the Dyson equation method to prove new local laws about a random matrix model that interpolates between the Marchenko-Pastur distribution, the elliptical law and the circular law. Through our work these local laws can be considered universal.

math.PR↗
arXiv2026

Moments approach for the elephant random walk

We discuss the method of moments for the one-dimensional elephant random walk (ERW). We first derive a differential recurrence relation for the characteristic function of the ERW, which yields a corresponding system of recurrence relations for its moments. We then obtain asymptotic approximations for the moments in each of the three parameter regimes of the ERW. Finally, by establishing the convergence of the moments and verifying the corresponding moment-determinacy conditions, we identify the limiting distributions of the ERW in each regime.

math.PR↗