Math 5248: Cryptology and Number Theory Section 002
This page will be updated as more information becomes available.Day/Time: 02:30 P.M. - 03:45 P.M., T,Th (01/21/2014 -
05/09/2014)
Location: Vincent Hall 113
Instructor: Chenyan Wu
Contact Information: cywu "at" math.umn.edu
Office Hours and Location: 03:45 P.M. - 05:00 P.M., T, Th at
VinH 302
Textbook: Cryptology and
Number Theory by Paul
Garrett, available at Alpha Print. Used copies from
previous years, produced by Alpha Print, are the same. However, the
first edition, printed by the publisher, has substantial
differences, and would not suffice.
Victor Shoup's "A Computational Introduction to Number Theory and Algebra", Shoup book,
William Stein's "Elementary Number Theory: Primes, Congruences, and Secrets", Stein book and
For popular historical accounts of cryptology, highly recommended sources are Simon Singh, "The Code Book" and (for much more detail) David Kahn, "The Codebreakers".
Being able to program is certainly very helpful but not essential for this course. Some computer algebra systems may come in handy: Sage, Maple, Mathematica, etc.
Course Objectives: This course develops the basic ideas of cryptology and related areas of number theory. Both symmetric and public key cryptosystems will be introduced, as will random number generators and cryptographic protocols.
Homework: Weekly assignments will be posted on Moodle and are due at the beginning of class every Thursday. Later homework will not be accepted. When writing homework please present it in such a way that people who are not using our textbook can understand your reasoning. Be concise and include only related arguments. To avoid losing points unnecessarily do not make the grader guess what you mean.
Exam Dates: Feb. 27, April 3 and May 8. We don't have a final on May 17.
Exams are open-book, open-notes and calculators are allowed. However communication devices such as smart phones, iPads are not allowed. In exams you are on your own. No discussion is allowed.
Grades: Homework contributes 30%, exams 20% + 20% + 30%.
Scholastic Conduct: Discussion on homework problems among students are encouraged. However it is forbidden to simply copy homework. Cheating or other misconduct will not be tolerated and standard university policies will apply.
University Policy Statements: The University Senate statements regarding academic dishonesty, credit, and workload expectations, and grading standards are at:
http://policy.umn.edu/Policies/Education/Education/GRADINGTRANSCRIPTS.html and
http://policy.umn.edu/Policies/Education/Education/STUDENTWORK.html.
Workload: One credit is defined as equivalent to an average of three hours of learning effort per week (over a full semester) necessary for an average student to achieve an average grade in the course. This course is a 4 credit course that meets 3 hours per week. Therefore, you should expect to spend an additional 9 hours per week on coursework outside the classroom.