Random Curves: Journeys of a MathematicianThese autobiographical memoirs of Neal Koblitz, coinventor of one of the two most popular forms of encryption and digital signature, cover many topics besides his own personal career in mathematics and cryptography - travels to the Soviet Union, Latin America, Vietnam and elsewhere, political activism, and academic controversies relating to math education, the C. P. Snow two-culture problem, and mistreatment of women in academia. The stories speak for themselves and reflect the experiences of a student and later a scientist caught up in the tumultuous events of his generation. |
Contents
| 1 | |
| 7 | |
SPRING OF 1972 chapter 6 ACADEMICS | 47 |
THE SOVIET UNION | 95 |
chapter 8 | 140 |
VIETNAM PART I | 163 |
NICARAGUA AND CUBA | 227 |
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academic activities administration African Alfred Menezes algorithm American Ann’s anti-war Arizona asked Bình called campus Certicom colleagues conference course Crypto cryptography Cuba Cuban culture El Salvador elliptic curve cryptography elliptic curves example explained faculty friends gave graduate student Hanoi Harvard Herrnstein Hoàng Hohokam interest issue Khoái knew Kovalevskaia Fund Kovalevskaia Prize later learned letter Managua math department Math Institute mathematician mathematics meeting Mike Fellows Moscow named National never Nguyễn Nicaragua number theory organized paper Phạm Văn Đồng police political Princeton problem professor protest provable security public key cryptography radical Russian Salvador Salvadoran Sandinista scientists Scott Vanstone Seattle seemed Sính social someone South Africa Soviet Union started studies talk teacher thought tion told took translated trip University Văn Vietnam Vietnamese visas vote wanted woman women wrote