Experimental observation of Zipf–Mandelbrot relation

We study the dynamics of a few-body system of microparticles using rank-ordering statistics. This dynamical system is made up of micrometer sized plastic spheres dispersed in a ferrofluid driven by external magnetic fields. The world lines of the microspheres are captured and the dynamical modes are described by mathematical braid theory. Rank-ordering statistics on these modes shows a large power-law region consistent with the Zipf–Mandelbrot relation.