MATH324-24S2 (C) Semester Two 2024

Cryptography and Coding Theory

15 points

Details:
Start Date: Monday, 15 July 2024
End Date: Sunday, 10 November 2024
Withdrawal Dates
Last Day to withdraw from this course:
  • Without financial penalty (full fee refund): Sunday, 28 July 2024
  • Without academic penalty (including no fee refund): Sunday, 29 September 2024

Description

This course deals with the mathematical ideas underlying modern cryptography, including algebra, number theory and probability theory.

Cryptography is the science of making and breaking secret codes: encryption is what keeps our credit card details safe when we send them over the internet. We will study the mathematics behind some of the main encryption systems in current use. Coding theory comprises the other  half of the course. It provides the theory and methods for coding information so that it can be transmitted over a noisy channel and be accurately decoded by the receiver. Cryptography and coding theory draw on ideas from algebra, geometry, number theory and probability theory. The course is aimed at students majoring in computer science or mathematics. It follows on from MATH220  (Discrete Mathematics and Cryptography); it is good preparation for or a good complement  to COSC332 (Data and Network Security), COSC413 (Advanced Topics in Algorithms) and  COSC436 (Security Fundamentals). Students who do not have the appropriate background in cryptography but who wish to enroll in the course should contact the course coordinator in order to discuss their eligibility.

Learning Outcomes

  • to become familiar with the mathematics behind some of the main encryption systems currently in use
  • to develop the necessary mathematical skills to analyse the efficiency and security of cryptosystems in a rigorous mathematical setting
  • to understand the principles and theory of error-correcting codes, and the various methods for constructing them
  • to understand important ideas from classical number theory, algebra, geometry and probability theory

Prerequisites

ONE of MATH203, DATA203 or EMTH211, and ONE of MATH120, MATH220, MATH240

Restrictions

Timetable 2024

Students must attend one activity from each section.

Lecture A
Activity Day Time Location Weeks
01 Thursday 12:00 - 13:00 Link 309 Lecture Theatre
15 Jul - 25 Aug
9 Sep - 20 Oct
Lecture B
Activity Day Time Location Weeks
01 Monday 11:00 - 12:00 Ernest Rutherford 465
15 Jul - 25 Aug
16 Sep - 20 Oct
Lecture C
Activity Day Time Location Weeks
01 Wednesday 15:00 - 16:00 Jack Erskine 101 (17/7, 31/7)
E14 Lecture Theatre (14/8, 11/9, 25/9, 9/10)
15 Jul - 21 Jul
29 Jul - 4 Aug
12 Aug - 18 Aug
9 Sep - 15 Sep
23 Sep - 29 Sep
7 Oct - 13 Oct
Tutorial A
Activity Day Time Location Weeks
01 Wednesday 15:00 - 16:00 Jack Erskine 101
22 Jul - 28 Jul
5 Aug - 11 Aug
19 Aug - 25 Aug
16 Sep - 22 Sep
30 Sep - 6 Oct
14 Oct - 20 Oct

Examinations, Quizzes and Formal Tests

Test A
Activity Day Time Location Weeks
01 Monday 11:00 - 12:00 Ernest Rutherford 465
9 Sep - 15 Sep

Course Coordinator

Geertrui Van de Voorde

Lecturers

Brendan Creutz and Felipe Voloch

Indicative Fees

Domestic fee $847.00

International fee $4,988.00

* All fees are inclusive of NZ GST or any equivalent overseas tax, and do not include any programme level discount or additional course-related expenses.

For further information see Mathematics and Statistics .

All MATH324 Occurrences

  • MATH324-24S2 (C) Semester Two 2024