34 Explaining Benford’s Law

Abstract

Digital Signal Processing usually involves signals with either time or space as the independent parameter, such as audio and images, respectively. However, the power of DSP can also be applied to signals represented in other domains. This chapter provides an example of this, where the independent parameter is the number line. The particular example we will use is Benford’s Law, a mathematical puzzle that has caused people to scratch their heads for decades. The techniques of signal processing provide an elegant solution to this problem, succeeding where other mathematical approaches have failed.