Hello everyone, as of now i am doing a mathematics assignment which is due in about 2 weeks. the assignment entails selecting any topic within the realms of mathematics that you have no idea about then researching this topic to be explained in a presentation. The topic i chose was Cryptographic hash functions. My problem is that i would like to ask for some help from anyone in the forums who is familiar with this type of hashing/cryptography to provide me with some help in explaining this concept. i am having a hard time myself understanding it. I'm not completely ignorant to this topic but i lack a general understanding. any help would be appreciated. this is a little outline i use to help me out: • What is cryptography? • What are hashes? • Why do we need them? • History of the cryptographic hash function thanks
Firstly, it'd be interesting to know what level of mathematics that you and your class study - it's a big spectrum of difficulty about encryption.
well, i'm in grade 11 in the New Brunswick Canadian system (online course) . it borders on AS-level maths.
I'd start with the Wiki page on cryptography, then move onto some of the cited links for info. Have a look through some textbooks too - there could be something in there about it.
I've tried that. i was hoping that maybe you can point towards a site with concepts that are little easier to understand or even a video or something that makes comprehending this topic a bit more manageable. thanks
Man. Easier than Wikipedia? That's not gonna be too easy. Crypto is a HUGELY complex field, where high level maths (i'm not going to BS you - they're WAY above my level) are the order of the day. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hash_function http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hash_table http://www.google.com.na/search?hl=...a:en-US:official&hs=jJs&q=hashing&btnG=Search that's where i'd start the search.
thanks for the much appreciated help. this is definitely a topic which requires quite a bit of research. so anything i can find is helpful. um, the prime number seeding thing that you mentioned, jamie, is a bit off topic. i'm not sure what you intended for me to stumble upon but i get things about quantum physics and the like. also, does anyone have any idea about how these cryptographic hash functions came about? what year and if possible, by who? it would be much appreciated.