Cryptological mathematics

This is an introduction to the mathematics involved in the intriguing field of cryptology, the science of writing and reading secret messages which are designed to be read only by their intended recipients. It is written at an elementary level, suitable for beginning undergraduates, with careful explanations of all the concepts used. The basic branches of mathematics required, including number theory, abstract algebra and probability, are used to show how to encipher and decipher messages, and why this works, giving a practical as well as theoretical basis to the subject. Challenging computer…