HONS 195N: A Social and Mathematical History of Cryptography

Fall 2009

Course Info:

• Course: A Social and Mathematical History of Cryptography
• Lectures: Monday, Wednesday, Friday, 12:50 - 1:40 p.m.
• Dates: 31 August 2009 - 9 December 2009
• Room: University Heights North Complex 016


• Instructor: John Voight
• Office: 16 Colchester Ave, Room 207C
• Phone: (802) 656-2271
• E-mail: jvoight@gmail.com
• Office hours: Mondays, 10:00 - 11:30 a.m. and 2:00 - 3:30 p.m.; or please make an appointment!
• Course Web Page: http://www.cems.uvm.edu/~voight/195N/
• Instructor's Web Page: http://www.cems.uvm.edu/~voight/


• Prerequisites: None.


• Required Text: Simon Singh, The Code Book, reprint edition, Anchor, 2000. There is also a coursepack, available at the bookstore.
• Grading: Weekly homework will count for 50% of the grade, class participation 10%, and a final paper will count for 40% in place of the final exam.
• Final Exam: Not applicable.

Syllabus:

Syllabus

Homework:

Occasional homework will be given roughly on a weekly basis. Some homework assignments may include writing response essays. Others will be mathematical problems; be sure to show your work and explain how you got your answer. Cooperation on these homework problems is permitted (and encouraged), but if you work together, write the solution up on your own.

Homework #1 (due Friday, 4 September)

Homework #2 (due Monday, 14 September)

Homework #3 (due Wednesday, 16 September)

Homework #4 (due Wednesday, 23 September)

Homework #5 (due Wednesday, 30 September)

Homework #6 (due Wednesday, 7 October) = Worksheet, Day #14

Homework #7 (due Friday, 16 October)

Class Participation:

To encourage lively participation, the final grade includes a metric of your preparedness and responsiveness in class.

A Google group for the class has been created. On certain days of class discussion, you will be asked to send one or more questions, concerns, points of clarification or interest, etc. to the group concerning the reading on the day before each class. You are encouraged but not required to read the questions of your peers.

Worksheets:

Worksheet, Day #2 (Wednesday, 2 September)

Worksheet, Day #3 (Friday, 4 September)

Worksheet, Day #4 (Wednesday, 9 September)

Worksheet, Day #8 (Friday, 18 September)

Worksheet, Day #12 (Monday, 28 September)

Worksheet, Day #14 (Friday, 2 October)

Worksheet, Day #22 (Friday, 23 October)

Reading:

The additional reading for the course can be obtained at Blackboard.

Warning: Readings many weeks in advance are subject to change.

Basic Cryptography
1	31 Aug	(M)	Introduction
2	2 Sep	(W)	Shift ciphers and congruences	(0) S: pp. 1-14 (in chapter 1) (1) TW: pp. 1-4 (sections 1.1-1.1.1) (1) TW: pp. 12-14 (section 2.1) (1) TW: pp. 70-72 (section 3.3)
3	4 Sep	(F)	Substitution ciphers	(1) TW: pp. 24-30 (sections 2.4-2.5)
	7 Sep	(M)	No class, Labor Day
4	9 Sep	(W)	Frequency analysis	(0) S: pp. 14-32 (in chapter 1)