Name: RUSSELL L.

DELOS SANTOS Section: II-AHM

Professor: Susan Guevarra Date:12-14-22 Score:

ACTIVITY 1

Try to decipher the following message using the following clues.

LETTER EQUIVALENT LETTER EQUIVALENT

Z A M N
Y B L O
X C K P
W D J Q
V E I R
U F H S
T G G T
S H F U
R I E V
Q J D W
P K C X
O L B Y
N M A Z

“GSV LMOB DZB GL OVZIM NZGSVNZGRXH RH GL WL NZGSVNZGRXH”

- KZFO SZONLH

Message:

The only way to learn mathematics is to do mathematics.

- PAUL HALMOS
 Name: RUSSELL L. DELOS SANTOS Section: II-AHM

Professor: Susan Guevarra Date:12-14-22 Score:

ACTIVITY 2

Julius Caesar used a simple Substitution Cipher to send messages to his troops. He
used a very simple rule to replace each leer with another letter from the alphabet. He
substituted each letter by the letter that was 3 places further along in the alphabet, so
that “a” was replaced with “D”, “b” with “E” and so on.

Complete the table below to show what each leer is enciphered as using this system.

a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z
D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z A B C

Using the Caesar Cipher, encode the name of your school. Check that you get the same
code as the person sat next to you. Although Caesar substituted each leer with the leer
3 places ahead, there are other variations of this cipher. You could shift each leer by 4 or
5 or 6 etc. This is called a key, and depending on which key you use, you will get a
different message.

Decode this message, which was enciphered using a Caesar Shift:

ZKHQ BRX KDYH GHFRGHG WKLV ZRUN RXW WZHQWB

When you have decoded this work out twenty

VHYHQ WLPHV QLQH DQG WHOO BRXU WHDFKHU.

Seven times nine and tell your teacher.

In pairs, discuss how good this cipher is at protecting messages. Can you think of any
ways to improve it? Finding each individual letter to complete the sentence or word is
difficult. To improve you to find easily the sentence you need to memorize the chart first.
 Name: RUSSELL L. DELOS SANTOS Section: II-AHM

Professor: Susan Guevarra Date:12-14-22 Score:

ACTIVITY 3

Breaking the Code

You have been given this encrypted message, and all you know is that it
has been encrypted using a Mono‐alphabetic Substitution Cipher. Can you
break it?

GFS WMY OG LGDVS MF SFNKYHOSU ESLLMRS, PC W BFGW POL DMFRQMRS PL OG CPFU M

One way to solve an encrypted message, if we know its language, is

to find a
UPCC5K5FO HDMPFOSXO GC OIS LMES DMFRQMRS DGFR SFGQRI OG CPDD GFS

different plaintext of the same language long enough to fill one

LISSO GK LG, MFU OISG WS NGQFO OIS GNNQKKSFNSL GC SMNI D5OO5K. WS NMDO OIS

sheet or so, and then we count the occurrences of each letter. We

call the
EGLO CK5JQFODY GNNQKKPFR D5OO5K OIS ‘CPKLO’ OIS FSXO EGLO GNNQKKPFR D5OO5K

most frequently occurring letter the ‘first,’ the next most occurring
letter
OIS ‘LSNGFU’ OIS CGDDWPFR EGLO GNNQKKPFR DSOOSK OIS ‘OIPKU’, MFU LG GF, QFOPD

the ‘second,’ the following most occurring letter the ‘third,’ and so
on, until
WS MNNGQFO CGK MDD OIS UPCCSKSFO DSOOSKL PF OIS HDMPFOSXO LMHDS. OISF WS

we account for all the different letters in the plaintext sample. Then
we
DGGB MO OIS NPHISK OSXO WS WMFO OG LGDVS MFU WS MDLG NOMLLPCY POL

look at the cipher text we want to solve and we also classify its
LYEAGOL WS CPFU OIS EGLO GNNQKKPFR LYEAGD MFU NIMFRS PO OG OIS CGKE GC OIS
symbols. We find the most occurring symbol and change it to the
form of the
‘CPKLO’ DSOOSK GC OIS HDMPFOSXO LMEHDS, OIS FSXO EGLO NGEEGF LYEAGO PL NIM-
‘first’ letter of the plaintext sample, the next most common symbol
is cha-
 FRSU OG OIS CGKE GC OIS ‘OIPKU’ MFU LG GF, QFOPD WS MNNGQFO
nged to the form of the ‘second’ and so on, until we account
CGK MDD LYEAGDL OIS NKYHOGRKME WS WMFO OG LGDVS.
for all symbols the cryptogram we want to solve.

What keyword was used to encrypt this

message? “MANUSCRIPT”
How might this information be useful?

Finding it would be more advantageous

because it would aid in the achievement of

other aims.

It is an extract from A Manuscript on Deciphering Cryptographic Messages,

written by Al-Kindi around 850 A.D., but lost until found in 1987. It is the
first known description of the process we now called Frequency Analysis.
The method he describes of using piece of text is traditionally how it was
done, but today we have published figures for the frequency of leers in
written text.

Once some are starting to make some head way with the decryption, a
discussion of methods will help those who are struggling. Some key questions to
help the decryption process are

1. What is the most common letter in English? E

2. What words in English only have 1 letter? A OR I

3. If there is the regularly, what letter does I represent? H

Provided are blank tables to fill in to work out what each letter stands for will
also help to keep track of what has been done. It must be noted that “m”
on top goes to “A” on boom (this is the ciphertext turning into
the plaintext). Grids for recording leers in Breaking the Code

a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z
M A N U S C R I P T B D E F G H J K L O Q V W X Y Z
 Name: RUSSELL L. DELOS SANTOS Section: II-AHM

Professor: Susan Guevarra Date:12-14-22 Score:

ACTIVITY 4

Directions: Using the diagram on below, decipher the given sentence.

A B C J K L S W
D E F M N O T X Y
G H I P Q R V Z

Eratosthenes most lasting

achievement was his remarkably

accurate calculation of the

earths circumstance
Name: RUSSELL L. DELOS SANTOS Section: II-AHM

Professor: Susan Guevarra Date:12-14-22 Score:

ACTIVITY 5

A murder to solve (crypto.interactive-maths.com)

A murder has been committed in the Math’s department at a nearby school.

Your job is to decode the clues to find

(a) the identity of the murderer

(b) the murder weapon

(c) the room in which the murder took place

You may take notes on this piece of paper as you proceed through the investigation.

When you have finished you must be prepared to justify your decisions to the class.

The seven suspects are: Dr Z

Mr X Dr Z Mr F Miss K

Mr Y Mr Q Mr G

The possible murder weapons are: Chair

Ruler Chair Scissors Compass

Textbook Pencil Stapler

The room in which the murder was committed could be: 16

16 23 24 25 28 29 Computer room
 Code 1: Pigpen

This code uses the following key. You need to work out how to use the key to decode
the message which follows.

A B C J K L S W
D E F M N O T X Y
G H I P Q R V Z

The room in which the murder was committed has a room number.
 Code 2: Polybius square

This code uses the following key. You need to work out how to use the key to decode
the message which follows.

5 A B C D E

4 F G H I J

3 K L M N O

2 P Q R S T

1 U V W X Y/Z

1 2 3 4 5

(5,2)(3,4)(5,5) (3,3)(1,1)(3,2)(4,5)(5,5)(3,2)(5,5)(3,2) (4,5)(5,3)(5,5)(4,2)

(4,3)(5,3)(5,2) (3,4)(1,5)(2,1)(5,5)(1,5)(4,3) (5,5) (4,4)(4,3)

(5,2)(3,4)(5,5)(4,4)(3,2) (4,3)(1,5)(3,3)(5,5) (2,5)(1,1)(5,2) (3,4)(1,5)(4,2)

(2,3)(5,5)(5,2)(5,2)(5,5)(3,2) (4,5).

The murderer does not have an e in their name but has letter d
 Code 3

Each letter is represented by a different number in a simple way, using the key a = 1,
b = 2, c = 3, d = 4, etc.

20,8,5 13,21,18,4,5,18 23,1,19 14,15,20 9,14 1 16,18,9,13,5

14,21,13,2,5,18,5,4 18,15,15,13

The murder was not at a prime numbered room

Code 4: Atbash

Each letter is represented by a different letter in a simple way.

GSV ILLN MFNYVI RH Z NFOGRKOV LU ULFI

THE ROOM NUMBER IS A MULTIPLE OF FOUR

 Code 5: Caesar Cipher

You will need a Caesar wheel to crack this code.

KYV DLIUVIVIJ ERDV NZCC KVCC PFL NYRK TFLEKIP YV ZJ WIFD

THE MURDERERS NAME WILL TELL YOU WHAT COUNTRY HE IS FROM

 Code 6: Morse Code

This code uses the following key. You need to work out how to use the key to decode
the message which follows.

A .- N -.

B -... O ---

C -.-. P .--.

D -.. Q --.-

E . R .-.

F ..-. S ...

G --. T -

H .... U ..-

I .. V ...-

J .--- W .--

K -.- X -..-

L .-.. Y -.--

M -- Z --..

- .... . / .-. --- --- -- / -. ..- -- -... . .-. / .... .- ... / . .. --. .... - / ..-. .- -.-. - --- .-. ... /

The room number has eight factors

 Code 7: The final challenge

This looks disturbingly familiar, but there’s something weird about it...

-.- -.. -.-. / --.- -..- ..-. / -- .-. --/ --.- -. / -- -..- / .-. -.-. / -.-- -. .-

--.- .--- -.-- -... / ..-. .-. -.-. --.- / -... -..- ...- -. -.-. --.- .-. .— .--. /

-.-. --.- .--- -.-. / -... -.-. -.. --

-. .-- -.-. -... / .-.. .--- .-- / -...

.-. -.-. / -..- .-- /

Kdc qxf mím qn mx íc ynaqjyb fícq bxvncqíap cqjc bcdmnwcb ljw bíc xw

But how did he do it peíhaps with something that students can sit on
Code 1 says:

The room in which the murder was committed has a room number.

Code 2 says:

The murderer does not have an e in their name but has letter d

Code 3 says:

The murder was not at a prime numbered room

Code 4 says:

THE ROOM NUMBER IS A MULTIPLE OF FOUR

Code 5 says:
The room number has eight factors

Code 6 says:
The room number has eight factors

Code 7 says:
Kdc qxf mím qn mx íc ynaqjyb fícq bxvncqíap cqjc bcdmnwcb ljw bíc xw
But how did he do it peíhaps with something that students can sit on