Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Concept Videos

Design Example01:23

Design Example

643
The innovation of touch-tone telephony revolutionized the telecommunications industry by replacing the traditional rotary dial with a dual-tone multi-frequency (DTMF) signaling system. This system uses a matrix-style keypad with buttons arranged in four rows and three columns, creating 12 distinct signals each assigned to a pair of frequencies. Each button press results in a simultaneous generation of two sinusoidal tones – one from a low-frequency group (697 to 941 Hz) and one from a...
643
Mesh Analysis for AC Circuits01:12

Mesh Analysis for AC Circuits

786
In the domain of radio communication, the significance of impedance matching must be considered. It is crucial to ensure the efficient transmission of signals between radio transmitters and receivers. Achieving this balance involves using impedance-matching circuits, with one fundamental configuration comprising a resistor, capacitor, and inductor.
The process of harmonizing these impedances begins with a clear understanding of the input and output signals. Once these signals are known, the...
786
Upsampling01:22

Upsampling

712
Managing signal sampling rates is essential in digital signal processing to maintain signal integrity. A decimated signal, characterized by a reduced frequency range due to its lower sampling rate, can be upsampled by inserting zeros between each sample. This upsampling process expands the original spectrum and introduces repeated spectral replicas at intervals dictated by the new Nyquist frequency. To refine this zero-inserted sequence, it is passed through a lowpass filter with a cutoff...
712
Column Efficiency: Rate Theory01:12

Column Efficiency: Rate Theory

1.2K
The rate theory of chromatography provides quantitative insight into the shapes and widths of elution bands. These bands are based on the random-walk mechanism governing molecular migration within a column. The Gaussian profile of chromatographic bands arises from the cumulative effect of random molecular motions as they progress through the column.
During elution, a solute molecule experiences numerous transitions between stationary and mobile phases, exhibiting irregular residence times in...
1.2K
Signal Flow Graphs01:18

Signal Flow Graphs

770
Signal-flow graphs offer a streamlined and intuitive approach to representing control systems, providing an alternative to traditional block diagrams. These graphs use branches to symbolize systems and nodes to represent signals, effectively illustrating the relationships and interactions within the system.
In a signal-flow graph, branches denote the system's transfer functions, while nodes represent the signals. The direction of signal flow is indicated by arrows, with the corresponding...
770
Reconstruction of Signal using Interpolation01:10

Reconstruction of Signal using Interpolation

856
Signal processing techniques are essential for accurately converting continuous signals to digital formats and vice versa. When a continuous signal is sampled with a period T, the resulting sampled signal exhibits replicas of the original spectrum in the frequency domain, spaced at intervals equal to the sampling frequency. To handle this sampled signal, a zero-order hold method can be applied, which creates a piecewise constant signal by retaining each sample's value until the next...
856

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Impact of opinion dynamics on recurrent pandemic waves: balancing risk aversion and peer pressure.

Interface focus·2025
Same author

Correction: Global socio-economic losses and environmental gains from the Coronavirus pandemic.

PloS one·2025
Same author

Digital-analog perceptual duality.

Psychological review·2025
Same author

Multi-scale phylodynamic modelling of rapid punctuated pathogen evolution.

PLoS computational biology·2025
Same author

Emergence of shield immunity during spatial contagions.

Npj complexity·2025
Same author

Why collective behaviours self-organize to criticality: a primer on information-theoretic and thermodynamic utility measures.

Royal Society open science·2025

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Apr 1, 2026

Transmission of Multiple Signals through an Optical Fiber Using Wavefront Shaping
09:43

Transmission of Multiple Signals through an Optical Fiber Using Wavefront Shaping

Published on: March 20, 2017

10.4K

Zipf's Law: Balancing Signal Usage Cost and Communication Efficiency.

Christoph Salge1, Nihat Ay2, Daniel Polani3

  • 1Department of Computer Science, University of Hertfordshire, Hatfield, United Kingdom.

Plos One
|October 2, 2015
PubMed
Summary

This study introduces a model explaining how power laws, like Zipf's law, emerge in human language development. It shows that minimizing communication costs naturally leads to these linguistic patterns.

More Related Videos

Quasi-light Storage for Optical Data Packets
07:45

Quasi-light Storage for Optical Data Packets

Published on: February 6, 2014

11.4K
Measuring the Switch Cost of Smartphone Use While Walking
07:00

Measuring the Switch Cost of Smartphone Use While Walking

Published on: April 30, 2020

2.3K

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Apr 1, 2026

Transmission of Multiple Signals through an Optical Fiber Using Wavefront Shaping
09:43

Transmission of Multiple Signals through an Optical Fiber Using Wavefront Shaping

Published on: March 20, 2017

10.4K
Quasi-light Storage for Optical Data Packets
07:45

Quasi-light Storage for Optical Data Packets

Published on: February 6, 2014

11.4K
Measuring the Switch Cost of Smartphone Use While Walking
07:00

Measuring the Switch Cost of Smartphone Use While Walking

Published on: April 30, 2020

2.3K

Area of Science:

  • Linguistics
  • Computational Linguistics
  • Information Theory

Background:

  • Human languages exhibit statistical regularities, notably power-law distributions like Zipf's law.
  • The underlying principles driving the emergence of these linguistic structures are not fully understood.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To propose and validate a theoretical model for the reliable emergence of power laws in human language development.
  • To investigate the role of the principle of least effort in shaping linguistic structures.

Main Methods:

  • Development of a mathematical model incorporating communication inefficiency and signal costs.
  • Analysis of the relationship between signal cost distribution and signal distribution in optimal languages.
  • Demonstration of Zipf's law emergence under specific cost distribution assumptions.

Main Results:

  • A general relationship was derived between signal cost and signal distribution for optimal languages.
  • The model demonstrates that logarithmic signal cost distributions predictably lead to Zipf's law.
  • This cost distribution is consistent with the structure of words formed from basic linguistic units.

Conclusions:

  • The principle of least effort, balancing communication efficiency and signal cost, provides a robust explanation for power-law emergence in languages.
  • The model offers a unified framework for understanding the development of linguistic regularities.
  • Logarithmic signal costs are a key factor in the formation of Zipfian language structures.