Quiz 1: October 06
Quiz 2: October 17
Quiz 3: October 29
Quiz 4: November 10
Quiz 5: November 21
Quiz 6: December 05
Assignment 1, due October 10
Assignment 2, due November 07
Assignment 3, due December 05
October 08:
October 06: Quiz 1
October 03: We finally introduced modular arithmetic and the key identitites: a ≡ a' (mod n) and b ≡ b' (mod n) implies a + a' ≡ b + b' (mod n) and aa' ≡ bb' (mod n). We then recast the Caesar cipher using modular arithmetic (encrypting is just adding the shift mod 26 and decrypting is just subtracting the shift mod 26). This quickly allows us to come up with the Vigenère cipher which requires a KEY word: this is a ``periodic" Caesar cipher where the period is determined by the length of keyword and the shift is determined by the letters of the keyword. Reflection Assignment 1 is up and is due on October 10.
October 01: We started with a few examples of the Playfair cipher in detail. Explained how to obtain the 5x5 grid used in Playfair cipher from a keyword. Spent some time discussing certain conventional issues that come up in Rectangular transposition, and while encoding the phrase for Playfair cipher. [For the most part, we will stick to the textbook; attempt many examples with the Sage cells to sus out possible edge cases like BOX]. Reading assignment: sections on "Overview of Classical Cryptosystems", "Rectangular transposition", and "Masonic cipher". Reading assignments are due by noon on the day of the next non-quiz class day.
September 29: Saw the following substitution ciphers: Caesar Cipher, Simple Substitution cipher, and Polybius Square (ADFGVX cipher). Saw a short example of using the Playfair cipher. Read Chapter 1 from the textbook for Reading Assignment and fill the google form before noon on Oct 1. The first quiz is on October 06.
September 26: Quick history of cryptography. Saw how to use Rectangular transposition
Lecture Time: MWF 2pm to 2:50pm
Lecture Location: Pepper Canyon Hall Room 106
Textbook: An Introduction to Cryptography, by Shishir Agrawal. Available online via this link.
Discussion Section:
Section A01: Th 5:00pm-5:50pm at CENTR 220
Section A02: Th 6:00pm-6:50pm at CENTR 220
Section A03: Th 7:00pm-7:50pm at WLH 2208
Section A04: Th 8:00pm-8:50pm at WLH 2208
Section A05: Th 7:00pm-7:50pm at CENTR 220
Section A06: Th 8:00pm-8:50pm at CENTR 220
Course Personnel:
Instructor: Karthik Ganapathy Venkitachalam
Teaching Assistant for Sections A01 and A02: Shubhankar Sahai
Teaching Assistant for Sections A03 and A04: Hargun Bhatia
Teaching Assistant for Sections A05 and A06: Dimitri Dine
Note: To contact us, please use Piazza. The system is highly catered to getting you help fast and efficiently from classmates, the TA, and myself. Rather than emailing questions to the teaching staff, I encourage you to post your questions on Piazza.
Office Hours:
Karthik Ganapathy: W 3:30pm-5:00pm and F 9:30am-11:00am at AP&M 1230
Shubhankar Sahai: Tu 3:00-5:00pm in HSS 3073
Hargun Bhatia: Th 12:00-2:00pm in HSS 3073
Dimitri Dine: Th 10am-12:00pm in HSS 4086B
Quizzes:
There will be six quizzes in class on the following dates: October 06, October 17, October 29, November 10, November 21, December 05. Each quiz is cumulative but the emphasis will be what was covered the previous three or four lectures leading up to it.
Reading Assignments:
You will be assigned sections of the textbook to read for every class, and you are expected to read and fill a form affirming that you have read the assigned sections. You can miss upto two reading assignments.
Reflection Assignments:
There will be three reflection assignments which will be posted on Canvas. They will be due on October 10, November 07, and December 05.
Final Exam:
It is on December 10 from 3pm-5:50pm in PCYNH 106. Cheat sheet policy is TBA. No makeup exams will be given in this course.
Note: It is standard Math Department practice to utilize different versions of exams, both within each lecture's exam, and between lectures whose exams are at different times.
Regrades: Regrade requests will be made using the built-in regrade request feature in Gradescope. There will be a limited window of time after the exams are made available during which the regrade request feature will be active. This time window will be announced when the exam scores are released. Only the regrade requests sent within the time window will be considered.
Grading Policy:
To ensure fairness and recognize different paths to success, your final grade will be calculated using the highest score from three grading rubrics:
4% Reading Assignments; 6% Reflection Assignments; 40% Final; 50% Quizzes (lowest quiz score dropped)
4% Reading Assignments; 6% Reflection Assignments; 24% Final; 66% Quizzes (all quizzes counted)
0% Reading Assignments; 4% Reflection Assignments; 60% Final; 36% Quizzes (all quizzes counted).
The first rewards students who stay consistent with quizzes and assignments, the second protects against having a single off day during finals, and the third provides an opportunity to demonstrate mastery on the final exam even if earlier work was weaker.
Attendance Policy: You are expected to attend every session of the lectures and discussion section you are enrolled in. Students who do not attend class rarely succeed in this course. If you must miss class for any reason, it is your responsibility to catch up on the material. You are also responsible for the information given in any announcements made during class. To help you with this, I will record every lectures in the event you are unable to attend. Lecture recordings can be found at UCSD Podcast.
Academic Integrity: Academic dishonesty is considered a serious offense at UCSD. Students caught cheating will face an administrative sanction which may include suspension or expulsion from the university. It is in your best interest to take pride in your work maintain your academic integrity.
Accommodations: Students requesting accommodations for this course due to a disability must provide a current Authorization for Accommodation (AFA) letter issued by the Office for Students with Disabilities (https://osd.ucsd.edu/.) Students are required to discuss accommodation arrangements with instructors and OSD liaisons in the department in advance of any exams or assignments.
September 25: First day of classes
October 10: Deadline to join the class; Deadline to Certify Commencement of Academic Activity;
October 20: Midterm 1
October 24: Deadline to drop the class without a W
November 07: Deadline to drop the class with a W
November 17: Midterm 2
December 05: Final day of classes
December 10: Final exam