🧮 MATH CIRCLE – ACTIVITY 20
🛡️ Cryptography Basics
📅 DATE: 19-11-2025 🗓️ DAY: Wednesday
Objective:
To introduce students to basic encryption techniques and develop logical thinking through secret message coding.
Purpose:
To explore how mathematics is used in real-life security systems through ciphers like Caesar and Atbash.
Learning Outcomes:
- Understand simple encryption techniques (Caesar cipher, Atbash).
- Apply modular arithmetic in coding/decoding messages.
- Appreciate the role of mathematics in cybersecurity.
Skills Developed:
Logical reasoning, pattern recognition, encoding-decoding, number sense.
Procedure:
- Teacher introduces Caesar cipher (shift method).
- Students encode and decode messages.
- Practice Atbash cipher (reverse alphabet).
- Students exchange secret messages and decode them.
Teacher’s Observations:
Students were excited to create and crack codes. They quickly grasped patterns and enjoyed the “spy-like” experience.
Student’s Reflections:
I loved sending secret messages! It made me realize math is used in security systems.
— By ____________
Photo Caption:
📸 Students creating and decoding secret messages using mathematical ciphers.
