Term Paper on "Worlds Renowned Cryptographers and Cryptanalysts"

Home > Topics > World History My Account

Term Paper 4 pages (1187 words) Sources: 5

[EXCERPT] . . . .

Renowned Cryptographers and Cryptanalysts

Cryptography was a very important element in the results of both World War I and II. While it has been used for centuries for a variety of purposes, cryptography in its currently known forms was first developed during the 17th century. In tracing the work of a variety of cryptographers, this paper shows each contribution during the World Wars, and how each success is used as a platform for future achievements in the field. The pioneering work of the men and women mentioned here is instrumental in the current political climate, where intelligence gathering on terrorism is vitally important.

In terms of history, cryptography is most notable for its use during the World Wars, and particularly during World War II. During the Second World War, cryptographers played a very important role in decoding messages by enemies. Some even hold that cryptographers were instrumental in the Allied victory during World War II. Cryptography today is even more vital, particularly in the light of 9/11 and subsequent terrorist activity, particularly in the United States. Millions of dollars are spent on intelligence and information collecting throughout the world in order to curb the terrorism threat (Ligett, 2005). While cryptography has been used for thousands of years for a number of communicative purposes, the form it took during the twentieth century and beyond was mainly focused upon defusing the efforts of the military enemy. Cryptography was first seriously used for this purpose during the World Wars. It was however already pioneered by Leonhard Euler and Pierre de Fermat during the 17th and 18th centuries.

Fermat and EulerContinue scrolling to

download full paper ⤓

/>

According to Jenny McNulty (2007), Pierre de Fermat's contribution constitutes what has become known as his Little Theorem, which he developed during 1640. He did this by writing a letter to a friend, in which he stated, without proof, that "p divides ap-1 whenever p is prime and a is relatively prime to p." Fermat had no proven basis for this theorem. This was provided nearly a century later by Leonhard Euler, who was born during 1707. Being a mathematician of note, and a contributor to many fields within the mathematical and cryptographic paradigms, Euler not only provided proof for Fermat's Little Theorem, but also generalized it to fit any modulus (McNulty, 2007). The work of these two theorists was instrumental in later cryptography when deciphering encrypted messages.

Herbert O. Yardley, Pioneer during World War I

According to Byron Ligett (2005), Yardley was first in his effort towards creating a government agency for the purpose of breaking foreign codes and messages. Yardley was born in 1889. During his high school career, Yardley was excellent at mathematics. During these years, he took a job a rail depot, learned telegraphy and Morse code, in which he became fluent. This led him to becoming a telegrapher for the State Department in Washington, DC. (Ligett, 2005). Yardley's work here involved receiving encoded messages involving American government officials traveling abroad. He found his work in the Code Room thrilling, and resolved to be involved with cryptography throughout his life.

With the outbreak of World War I in 1917, Yardley was 28 years old. He was put in charge of Military Intelligence, which required that he decode foreign messages. This was a significant point in American history, as the Intelligence Agency that Yardley set up was the first of its kind in the country. The Agency - MI-8 - proved invaluable to the country. For this, Yardley received the Distinguished Service Medal. Yardley's efforts were used as a springboard for… READ MORE

Download Full Paper

Write a New Paper for Me

Quoted Instructions for "Worlds Renowned Cryptographers and Cryptanalysts" Assignment:

“

CIS-482

INTRODUCTION TO CRYPTOGRAPHY

RESEARCH PAPER 1

Title: World*****s Renowned Cryptographers and Cryptanalysts

This is an individual or a group project. If you choose to work on this project individually, your research paper should be 4 pages long. If you choose to work on this paper in a group of maximum 2 students, your paper should contain 7 pages.

Over several centuries a number of individuals contributed to the cryptology field. For example, the mathematicians Leonhard Euler (Swiss) and Pierre de Fermat (French), who lived in the 17th century. They both made several very important discoveries related to prime numbers more than 300 years ago and had not envisioned then that these discoveries would be used in modern cryptography today. Some of the 20th century pioneers of the U.S. cryptology were Herbert O. Yardley, William F. Friedman and his wife Elizabeth, Agnes Meyer Driscoll, Frank B. Rowlett, and Lester Hill. Others scientists like Claude E. Shannon (U.S.), who received the Nobel Price, made invaluable contributions to the field as well. Alan Turing (English), *****n Rejewski, Jerzy RÃ³Å¼ycki, and Henryk Zygalski (Polish) contributed to breaking the code of the Enigma cipher machine used by Germans during the Second World War.

Write an essay that briefly describes the contributions of these individuals to the cryptography field. Submit a 4-page or 7-page typed (double spaced) Word document by the due date. Format the document as follows: Font 12; Times New Roman; left, right, top, and bottom margins at 1*****. Use one blank line space between paragraphs. In the footer, include page numbers. No cover sheet is needed. Place the essay title, your name(s), and course number on the first page in boldfaced form. Abstract, introduction, body of the report with suitable subheadings for sections, conclusion, and at least five references (Internet, books, and papers) listed alphabetically should follow. All references should be cited properly in the body of your essay. Proofread your essay both for spelling and grammar. Staple all the pages together. The score for of your paper will depend on its contents and professional appearance.

How to Reference "Worlds Renowned Cryptographers and Cryptanalysts" Term Paper in a Bibliography

“Worlds Renowned Cryptographers and Cryptanalysts.” A1-TermPaper.com, 2008, https://www.a1-termpaper.com/topics/essay/renowned-cryptographers-cryptanalysts/72002. Accessed 5 Oct 2024.

Worlds Renowned Cryptographers and Cryptanalysts (2008). Retrieved from https://www.a1-termpaper.com/topics/essay/renowned-cryptographers-cryptanalysts/72002

A1-TermPaper.com. (2008). Worlds Renowned Cryptographers and Cryptanalysts. [online] Available at: https://www.a1-termpaper.com/topics/essay/renowned-cryptographers-cryptanalysts/72002 [Accessed 5 Oct, 2024].

”Worlds Renowned Cryptographers and Cryptanalysts” 2008. A1-TermPaper.com. https://www.a1-termpaper.com/topics/essay/renowned-cryptographers-cryptanalysts/72002.

”Worlds Renowned Cryptographers and Cryptanalysts” A1-TermPaper.com, Last modified 2024. https://www.a1-termpaper.com/topics/essay/renowned-cryptographers-cryptanalysts/72002.

[1] ”Worlds Renowned Cryptographers and Cryptanalysts”, A1-TermPaper.com, 2008. [Online]. Available: https://www.a1-termpaper.com/topics/essay/renowned-cryptographers-cryptanalysts/72002. [Accessed: 5-Oct-2024].

1. Worlds Renowned Cryptographers and Cryptanalysts [Internet]. A1-TermPaper.com. 2008 [cited 5 October 2024]. Available from: https://www.a1-termpaper.com/topics/essay/renowned-cryptographers-cryptanalysts/72002

1. Worlds Renowned Cryptographers and Cryptanalysts. A1-TermPaper.com. https://www.a1-termpaper.com/topics/essay/renowned-cryptographers-cryptanalysts/72002. Published 2008. Accessed October 5, 2024.

Related Term Papers: