Historical Presentation
The use of codes and ciphers to protect secrets goes back thousands of years, having already evolved into a mature field by the time of the ancient Greeks and Persians. Much of this history can be thought of as an “arms race” pitting cryptographers, tasked with developing increasingly complex cipher systems, against cryptanalysts aiming to break these ciphers (e.g., the development of the German Enigma machine, which was broken by the Allies during World War II). Every student in this seminar will give a brief presentation (~5-10 minutes) about a topic in the history of cryptography. Potential topics include:
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Requirements |
The main requirements for your presentation are:
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References |
There are many excellent references (both traditional and online) which you may find helpful to consult in order to select a presentation topic. A few which I recommend are:
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Please do not feel in any way constrained by the above references! I am very flexible about what topics are "appropriate" for this presentation. In particular I encourage you to view this as an opportunity to explore the ways in which cryptography may relate to your other (non-mathematical) interests. For instance, it is perfectly fine if you would like to give a presentation on a topic that is more sociological in nature than historical. All that I ask is that you propose your topic to me at least a few days before your presentation. The idea is that I want to ensure that whatever topic you select will not coincide with something that we will be covering in class.
Guidelines |
Be creative! Your presentation should not be a "data dump" in which you overwhelm the class with hundreds of names and dates. Instead think of it as your opportunity to tell the class a story. Your goal is to inform your audience about something that they do not already know. So information should only be communicated if it aides you in this. Remember as well to provide information about the historical context you are dealing with. For instance, one can explain the mathematics behind the Caesar Cipher very quickly. And the audience will very quickly become convinced (rightly) that the cipher offers essentially no security. This is where the historical context becomes germane. The Caesar Cipher was first used by Julius Caesar to send secure messages of military importance, and its security was greatly enhanced by virtue of the fact that the vast majority of Caesar's enemies were illiterate. The point of this is that the historical context is needed to communicate your story.
I encourage you to come up with interesting ways of presenting your topic. As an example, in my presentation of the Caesar Cipher I might break the class into small groups and have them work on an activity in which they send secret messages to other groups in order to gain facility with the method. As an aside, did you know that the Caesar salad is not named after Julius Caesar (as the cipher is), but rather Italian American restaurateur Caesar Cardini? |