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Type of bind: Paperback
Dewey Decimal Number: 510.92
EAN num: 9781565123779
ISBN number: 1565123778
Label: Algonquin Books
Manufacturer: Algonquin Books
Quantity: 1
Page Count: 352
Printing Date: December 30, 2002
Publishing house: Algonquin Books
Sale Popularity Level: 47209
Studio: Algonquin Books
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Product Description:
In January 1999, Sarah Flannery, a sports-loving teenager from Blarney in County Cork, Ireland, was awarded Ireland's Young Scientist of the Year for her extraordinary research and discoveries in Internet cryptography. The following day, her story began appearing in Irish papers and soon after was splashed across the front page of the London Times, complete with a photo of Sarah and a caption calling her 'brilliant.' Just sixteen, she was a mathematician with an international reputation.
IN CODE is a heartwarming story that will have readers cheering Sarah on. Originally published in England and cowritten with her mathematician father, David Flannery, IN CODE is 'a wonderfully moving story about the thrill of the mathematical chase' (Nature) and 'a paean to intellectual adventure' (Times Educational Supplement). A memoir in mathematics, it is all about how a girl subsequent door, nurtured by her family, moved from the simple math puzzles that were the staple of dinnertime conversation to prime numbers, the Sieve of Eratosthenes, Fermat's Little Theorem, googols-and finally into her breathtaking algorithm. Parallel with each step is a modest girl's own self-discovery-her values, her burning curiosity, the joy of persistence, and, above all, her love for her family.
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Rated by buyers 
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This is the second book I've read on my own, self study of cryptography. But I remember from the book, "Secrets and Lies" by Bruce Schneier that new cryptography systems occur often. It is not possible to foresee all attacks that would break the security. That said, even though Ms. Flannery's encryption method had a vulnerability it still is interesting enough to learn from. That is why I wish she would have described the thinking process behind the math of her main algorithm. Sure the appendix has all the math (Which I still need to go through.), but if she would have described the encryption algorithm as she did her journey learning cryptography, the book would be phenomenal.
Again, the book is great and I give it 5 stars. She explains complex math in a way that is both interesting and understandable. And even though I wanted more explanation about the main algorithm, at least all the math (including Mathematica code) is in the appendix. I guess this was done because the book's main focus is supposed to be the story. But don't let that deter you, this is a math book too. And while it is fundamental math topics, the math is not watered down. It is presented in a way in which you can understand and learn from it.
I highly recommend this book. It shows with some hard work and a basic math understanding, you can still contribute and discover things. I have been working with logarithmic spirals trying to find a use for them in cryptography. I had worked at it hard and realized after all the work I still don't have a proven solution. But reading this book by Ms. Flannery, you see that it is more about the journey.
Rated by buyers -
Miss Flannery book is great. I remember the interesting puzzles littered through the book. Otherwise an inspiring story which doesn't abstract away achievement by attributing it to the authors intelligence.
I found it a delightful read. I would strongly recommend that you buy a copy to gift to your 15 year old kid/niece/nephew....
Rated by buyers -
everybody knows that number theory is notoriously abstract and at times, completely unfathomnable to the layman's mind and at worst the realm of the pure intellect. But Sarah and her dad has done a excellent job in breaking that notion!
Rated by buyers -
If you know any youngster who's interested in math, do them a favor and buy them this book. Heck, even if they don't care about math, buy them this book anyway. I don't see how anyone who doesn't have a brick between their ears can fail to be inspired by the curiosity and enthusiasm of this down-to-earth young lady.
Rated by buyers -
In Code is written by Sarah Flannery (who won Ireland's Young Scientist of the Year Award at the age of 16). Part biography, it discusses this young woman's remarkable journey to mathematical celebrity, beginning from her solving logic brainteasers from a very young age. Cultivated and influenced in large part by her mathematician father, Sarah attempts to develop a new algorithm that encrypts/decodes more quickly than RSA, the standard public key algorithm.
This book provides a detailed discussing of cryptography and mathematics and includes various technical questions/references that stumped me. As another reviewer wrote, "she digs deeply into number theory." Nevertheless, her fluid and engaging writing made up for these hurdles.
All in all, a definite read!
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