http://arxiv.org/abs/1501.00738
The spatial distribution of people exhibits clustering across a wide range of scales, from household (~$10^{-2}$ km) to continental (~$10^4$ km) scales. Empirical data indicates simple power-law scalings for the size distribution of cities (known as Zipf’s law), the geographic distribution of friends, and the population density fluctuations as a function of scale. We derive a simple statistical model that explains all of these scaling laws based on a single unifying principle involving the random spatial growth of clusters of people on all scales. The model makes important new predictions for the spread of diseases and other social phenomena.
H. Lin and A. Loeb
Wed, 7 Jan 15
32/67
Comments: 13 pages, 2 figures, press embargo until published