How can I study the math behind cryptography?

Question

I am a junior in high school and I am currently studying algebra 2. Where can I go to learn about the mathematics behind cryptography? I have a very basic knowledge of cryptography, but I am really interested in things like, why is a 2^256 bit cipher so secure? I would really like to learn about things like that so I can learn to make my own and analyze other ciphers.

Are there any good books or websites where I could learn about cryptography from a mathematical perspective?

For your 256 bit cipher question, see How much would it cost in U.S. dollars to brute force a 256 bit key in a year? — CodesInChaos, Dec 16 '15 at 17:06

score 1 · Answer 1 · answered Dec 16 '15 at 16:52

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Speaking from my own experience, Nigel Smart's book Cryptography: An introduction is a good place to start. I would say that you can read and understand it without any prior knowledge of cryptography at all. It is also free.

answered Dec 16 '15 at 16:52

Carl Löndahl

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Thanks that book is great! It may be a little too complicated for my knowledge of mathematics, do you have anything simpler in mind? – Harrison Rankin Dec 16 '15 at 17:15
This one is even more basic: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Code_Book but it is not covering much of the math – Carl Löndahl Dec 16 '15 at 17:19
A Friendly Introduction to Number Theory by Joe Silverman is a superb book for a college student. Parts of the book are freely available at http://www.math.brown.edu/~jhs/frint.html – user94293 Jun 10 '16 at 05:43

How can I study the math behind cryptography?

1 Answers1