Error correction on a short decimal number

Question

I have short, variable length decimal numbers, like: #41551, that are manually transcribed by humans. Mistyping one will cause undesirable results, so my first thought is to use the Luhn algorithm to add a checksum -- #41551-3. However, that will only detect an error, not correct it. It seems adding another check digit should be able to detect and correct a single-digit error, so given #41515-3? (a transposition error) I'd be able to recover the correct #41551.

Something like a Hamming code seems like the right place to look, but I haven't been able to figure out how to apply them to decimal, instead of binary, data. Is there an algorithm intended for this use, or can Hamming/Reed-Solomon etc be adapted to this situation?

Answer 1

Yes, you can use Hamming codes in addition with check equations for correction. Use summation of data modulo 10 for finding check digits. Place check digits in 1,2,4,8, ... positions.