SCITECH RECENTLY: Cracking the Code behind Cryptography
Words by: Armas Exconde and Rinzen Gonzales
The College of Science Mathematics and Physics Department unraveled new discoveries with Prof. Dixie Falcunit Jr., MSc, a faculty of the department, leading a lecture on "Decoding Secrets and Encoding Secrets." The event was held at Labrador Hall from 10AM to 12PM where the department introduced how a little string of keyboard mash could contain a hidden message.
It all started with a simple review on division and remainders, then division with exponents, and finally with exponents reaching the powers of over 100. These numbers reveal a pattern associated with cryptography, a form of coded messaging that allows text to be understood only by its intended receiver. This led to topics ranging from codes and concepts like shift ciphers and data encryption.
The encryption and decryption were only done by hand, and there were no fancy calculators, ChatGPT, or such. A brief run-through of the Affine Cipher and Caesar Cipher showed its intricacy, even if it is infinitely time-consuming. Simply assigning or shifting the message into different letters may demand hours of work. This challenge leads to Cryptanalysis.
The talk also deconstructed the intricacies of the mathematics behind decoding and its relationship to our history and everyday activities. There are algorithms behind the simple encryption of a document that ensures the security of personal information. He stressed the need to protect and encrypt documents, especially since fraud and scams are rampant.
Beyond this, he shared some examples of science transcending the “transformation of words into letters,” such as decoding German war-time encryptions and messages from serial killers. He cited this field’s importance in our history and society.
This youth lecture was able to decode how mathematics in the form of cryptography was able to transcribe complicated knowledge into digestible facts and figures. Prof. Faculnit emphasized the mathematics behind seemingly logical puzzles and how this can crack even the most complex codes - truly unraveling the secrets of encryption and decryption.
