Monthly Schedule

(MODD, Period D)

Th 12/1/011

HW due: Learn from this web page and the links found there how to do Hamming 7-4 encoding, decoding, and error correction. This is a review of what we did in class yesterday.

In class: Graded exercise on Hamming 7-4 coding, without notes. (This will be like a quiz.)

 

F 12/2/011

HW due: Read pp. 340-343; write #1, 3, 4, 6, 7, 12, 13 on pp. 345-346.

 

M 12/5/011

No class.

 

T 12/6/011

HW due: Outline of your semester project, approximately 1 page. If you wish to change topics, please send e-mail (with double underscore prefix in the subject line) by noon on Sunday, 12/4, so that your request can be evaluated. All project change requests must be approved in writing.

Your project will have both a written component and an oral component. Written projects (Word or PowerPoint format preferred) are due Wed., 12/21. Oral projects will be presented during the first week of January.

 

W 12/7/011

HW due: Read pp. 344, 346-351; write #1-5 all on p. 354.

 

Th 12/8/011

Class meets today in MH-214.

HW due: Read pp. 361-362, 376-380. Reading notes are required, as always.

 

F 12/9/011

Class meets again today in MH-214.

HW due: Reformat your project outline so that it conforms to one of the standard outline numbering styles that we discussed in class on Tuesday, 12/6.

 

M 12/12/011

No class.

 

T 12/13/011

HW due: Work on your semester project. Your written report is due Wednesday, 12/21.

 

W 12/14/011

HW due: Work on your semester project.

In class: Continue discussion of encryption.

 

Th 12/15/011

HW due: Work on your semester project, and also write #6, 7, and 8 on p. 354. (Note: Before doing #6, double-check your answers to #5a and #5b from last week to make sure you obtained 100010011 and 110100010011, respectively.)

 

F 12/16/011

HW due: Reread pp. 349-353; write #9 on p. 354.

Note: For #9a, each output value should be 4 bits long. For #9b, each output value should be 7 bits long. For #9c, each output value should be 8 bits long. Use the sequences that were given in class yesterday. (If your answers were correct, you already have these.)

 

M 12/19/011

No class.

 

T 12/20/011

HW due:

1. Work on your semester project. The written version is due tomorrow, and the oral presentation will occur during the first week of January.

2. Reread the “Terms and Skills” list in the Nov. 29 calendar entry. (Click the “archives” link at the top of the calendar to access the month of November.)

3. Prepare a similar “Terms and Skills” list for all material covered since then, including not only what we have discussed in class but also the textbook readings on pp. 331-380.

4. Prepare a list of questions to be answered in class today (Tuesday) to help you prepare for the test. (Note: The terms and skills listed in the Nov. 29 calendar entry are still “fair game” for tomorrow’s test.) Some example questions are listed below. If you like these, feel free to include some of them in your list. However, your list of questions must have at least 3 of your own.

·         How do I generate a bitstream from parameters A, B, N, and initial seed X(0) in order to produce encrypted data (i.e., a cryptogram) using XOR?

·         What is the simplest way to perform integer division by a power of 2 (i.e., division in which the remainder is discarded)?

·         What is the simplest way to find the “modulo” result (i.e., remainder after division) whenever the dividend is an integer and the divisor is a power of 2?

·         What is the simplest way to multiply any floating-point number by a power of 2?

·         What is the simplest way to multiply any integer by a power of 2?

·         Why are simple rotation and permutation ciphers completely unsuitable for modern secure data exchange?

·         What is meant by the term “keyspace”?

·         Suppose somebody tells me the number of bits that are allowed for a key. How can I quickly estimate the size of the keyspace?

·         If keys are too predictable or are generated by a pseudorandom number generator (PNG) that does not have a real-time clock, what happens to the effective keyspace?

·         What is meant by the terms “plaintext” and “ciphertext”?

·         Which has more entropy, plaintext or ciphertext?

·         What is the inverse of the XOR operation?

 

W 12/21/011

HW due: Written version of semester project. Word or PowerPoint format are acceptable. A hard copy is optional.

Test (100 pts.) will cover all material in the second quarter. In order to prepare, study your “Terms and Skills” list that you prepared yesterday, as well as the similar list found in the Nov. 29 calendar entry.

Note: Since everyone aced the Hamming 7-4 quiz on Dec. 1, there will be no number-crunching of error correcting codes on this test. You need to know what error correcting codes are, why they are useful, and the basics of how they work, but you will not need to perform any error correction on the test.

 

 

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Last updated: 07 Jan 2012