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Cryptography through the Ages [F-10-13]

Cryptography is the science of designing and breaking secret codes. This course describes the progress of cryptography through the ages, starting from the time of the Roman Empire, passing through modern day techniques of the digital revolution, and speculating on the future by examining current 9 ideas based on quantum physics. We will look at the basic underlying ideas of cryptography and some of their simple implementation using computer programs.

Christino Tamon has been teaching cryptography at Clarkson since 1997. His research interests include machine learning theory and quantum computation, both of which have strong connections with cryptography.

NOTE: Recommended books:

• Simon Singh, The Code Book (Anchor, 1999)
• David Kahn, The Codebreakers, revised edition (Scribner, 1996)
• Bruce Schneier, Applied Cryptography, 2nd edition (John Wiley & Sons, 1986)