Tag Archives: #rsa

Sequels

Our math and science author Eef has published a series of articles on Math. These articles are best read in the correct sequence for easy understanding.

Here is the order in which to read the math articles:

  1. P vs NP
  2. RSA-encryption
  3. Shor’s Algorithm
  4. a 4th article related to quantum computing is rumored to follow…

Happy reading!

Shor’s algorithm

Introduction

Quantum computing is an expression frequently to be found in the news of every self respecting media outlet.
Time and again, yet another breakthrough is described towards the event of becoming fully operational of such a device.
The method of working of a quantum computer (QC) in those reports always comes down to:

  • The QC does not work with bits like all our present computers do, but with qubits.
  • The bits of our familiar classical computers can have the value 0 or 1 but qubits can have both values at the same time. This phenomenon is called superposition.
  • For this reason, a quantum computer reduces today’s supercomputer to an abacus.

It does not seem that this conclusion satisfies the average packet of questions one has about an entirely new technology. Continue reading →

Using AI in non-fiction context, a justification

In his recent essay, “The slippery slope of AI in books” Paul was almost shocked by his publisher’s question “Did you use AI in creating text, images and/or translation in your book?” Of course, he answered with a loud, indignant “NO” to this question.

Then Paul explains to us that he uses Word’s spelling checker and occasionally a grammar checker. But of course, his text as a whole, is his own. Created by him and only him.

That made me wonder, how does this work out for my text with e.g. the contributions to the math section? I am not a book writer as Paul definitely is, but I write nonetheless. And doing so, I try to maintain my personal style. On a very regular base, Paul and I, exchange email messages with a great variety of subjects. We do this for more than 25 years. The writing is in our own style and very recognizable as such.

But this is entirely different from creating a fictional story as storytellers do. Continue reading →

The secrets of RSA encryption

When clicking on the padlock in the address bar of an internet session, a window appears with the message: “Safari uses an encrypted connection with …”. [red. this message may look slightly different for other browsers]

After pressing the buttons ‘Show certificate’ and ‘detail’, a lot more is shown. The typically used security algorithm nowadays at most news sites etc. at the opening session is: public key with elliptic curve.

But for the sites where security really is an issue, e.g. a login session into your bank account or a large online store, RSA is the encryption algorithm. And RSA encryption is the subject of my contribution this time. Continue reading →