About this item
The Mathematics of Secrets takes readers on a fascinating tour of the mathematics behind cryptography--the science of sending secret messages. Most books about cryptography are organized historically, or around how codes and ciphers have been used, such as in government and military intelligence or bank transactions. Joshua Holden instead shows how mathematical principles underpin the ways that different codes and ciphers operate. Holden focuses on both code making and code breaking and he discusses the majority of ancient and modern ciphers currently known. Holden begins by looking at substitution ciphers, built by substituting one letter or block of letters for another. Explaining one of the simplest and historically well-known ciphers, the Caesar cipher, Holden establishes the key mathematical idea behind the cipher and discusses how to introduce flexibility and additional notation.
About the Author
Joshua Holden is Professor of Mathematics at the Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology, an undergraduate engineering college in Indiana. His research interests are in computational and algebraic number theory, cryptography, and the application of mathematics to fiber arts. His teaching interests include the use of technology in teaching and the teaching of mathematics (including cryptography) to computer science majors, as well as the use of historically informed pedagogy.
