Description
The authors developed a popular course for non-science students at Radford University, Canada, aiming to engage students who don't have much math background and perhaps to entice a few to cross into scientific and technical fields. They chose topics of cultural and historical interest and mathematical applications that are accessible yet interesting. Only a basic grounding in algebra, statistics, and number theory is required. The Maplets created by the authors are supported by the software package Maple, but they are designed so that students can do some complicated tasks with relative ease. Annotation ©2012 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)
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Easily Accessible to Students with Nontechnical Backgrounds In a clear, nontechnical manner, Cryptology: Classical and Modern with Maplets explains how fundamental mathematical concepts are the bases of cryptographic algorithms. Designed for students with no background in college-level mathematics, the book assumes minimal mathematical prerequisites and incorporates student-friendly Maplets throughout that provide practical examples of the techniques used.Technology ResourceBy using the Maplets, students can complete complicated tasks with relative ease. They can encrypt, decrypt, and cryptanalyze messages without the burden of understanding programming or computer syntax. The authors explain topics in detail first before introducing one or more Maplets. All Maplet material and exercises are given in separate, clearly labeled sections. Instructors can omit the Maplet sections without any loss of continuity and non-Maplet examples and exercises can be completed with, at most, a simple hand-held calculator. The Maplets are available for download at www.radford.edu/~npsigmon/cryptobook.html.A Gentle, Hands-On Introduction to CryptologyAfter introducing elementary methods and techniques, the text fully develops the Enigma cipher machine and Navajo code used during World War II, both of which are rarely found in cryptology textbooks. The authors then demonstrate mathematics in cryptology through monoalphabetic, polyalphabetic, and block ciphers. With a focus on public-key cryptography, the book describes RSA ciphers, the Diffie–Hellman key exchange, and ElGamal ciphers. It also explores current U.S. federal cryptographic standards, such as the AES, and explains how to authenticate messages via digital signatures, hash functions, and certificates.
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