Crack codes, decrypt ciphers, and encrypt some of your own for others to solve. In this class, we explore high points in the long history and secret world of cryptology, from Julius Caesar and the Renaissance to William and Elizebeth Friedman and modern digital codes.
Week 1:
- Caesar’s Cipher
- Book Cipher
Week 2:
- Key Word Cipher
- Cardano Grille
Week 3:
- The Poly-Alphabetic Cipher Disk of Leon Alberti
- The Biliteral Cipher of Sir Francis Bacon
Week 4:
- Frequency Analysis
- Online Cryptograms
- Anagrams and Jumbles
Week 5:
- Coded Messages
- Modern Coding: Zip Codes, UPC Bar Codes, QR Codes
Resources:
- Caesar’s Cipher Decoder/Encoder
- Bacon Cipher Decoder/Encoder
- Online Cryptograms
- Anagram Generator
- Online Jumble Puzzles for Kids or for Adults (and kids who want a challenge)
- QR Code Generator
- Code Cracking for Kids: Secret Communications throughout History, with 21 Codes and Ciphers; Jean Daigneau (2020)
- Top Secret: A Handbook of Codes, Ciphers, and Secret Writing; Paul Janeczko (2004)
- Can You Crack the Code? A Fascinating History of Ciphers and Cryptography, Ella Schwartz (2019)
- National Cryptologic Museum