Power Law

A power law is a mathematical relationship where one quantity varies with another raised to a certain power. In simple terms, it describes situations where small occurrences are very common, while larger ones are rare but significantly more influential. For example, in city sizes, many small towns exist, but a few are very large. Power laws often appear in natural and social systems, such as earthquakes, wealth distribution, and internet connectivity, highlighting that some elements dominate or have outsized effects compared to the rest. Understanding power laws helps explain why rare but impactful events or entities are significant in complex systems.