The Mathematics of Ciphers: Number Theory and RSA Cryptography (Hardcover)

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Editorial Reviews

Product Description

A revised and updated translation of a work originally published in Portuguese in 1997. It introduces the algorithmic aspects of number theory and its applications to the study of codes, and of code-breaking. The work ends with study of the Rivest, Shamir, and Aldeman (RSA) public key cryptosystem,

Language Notes

Text: English (translation)
Original Language: Portugese

Product Details

• Hardcover: 196 pages
• Publisher: AK Peters, Ltd.; 1 edition (November 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1568810822
• ISBN-13: 978-1568810829
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #886,566 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

30 of 33 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent introduction, June 27, 1999

By A Customer

This book is a very readable introduction to the theory of numbers. The author manages to concentrate in a relatively short book and with a very clear and pleasant style the material necessary to understand the mathematics underneath the RSA cryptosystem. No previous knowledge of advanced mathematics is assumed. Perhaps not enough for mathematicians, but more than rewarding for the rest of us. It reminds me a bit of the style of M. Gardner. Books on mathematics can be very dull without the style of exposition of Mr. Coutinho. Highly recommended !

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars all about understanding RSA, January 17, 2006

By	W Boudville (Terra, Sol 3) - See all my reviews (TOP 10 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

The book revolves around RSA. The motivation for the book is that the reader wants to understand public/private key cryptography, where this is represented by the seminal RSA algorithm.

The author assumes little previous acquaintance with number theory on your part. He develops his arguments from this minimal background. So modular arithmetic is introduced, and thence such key ideas as groups, primality tests, Chinese Remainder Theorem and, finally, the RSA cryptosystem. Each chapter has a problem set of moderate difficulty.

A maths undergraduate at the sophomore level or higher should be able to benefit from the book.

4.0 out of 5 stars Good introduction to RSA, September 3, 2008

By	J. Rudin - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I've used this book for teaching the basic theory of RSA cryptography. However, some knowledge of number theory is required in order to get full benefit of the text and exercises. I found "Number Theory and Its History," by Oystein Ore, to be an excellent complement to this text.

(Note that there are a few typographical errors in the exercises, but these are easily spotted.)