computer science

Unsolved!

Unsolved! is a computer science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Unsolved! rather than just read about it. In short: Unsolved! The History and Mystery of the World’s Greatest Ciphers from Ancient Egypt to Online Secret Societies is a 2017 book by American mathematician and cryptologist Craig P.

Key takeaways

Unsolved! belongs to computer science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Unsolved! to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Unsolved! from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Unsolved! The History and Mystery of the World’s Greatest Ciphers from Ancient Egypt to Online Secret Societies is a 2017 book by American mathematician and cryptologist Craig P. Bauer. The book explores the history and challenges of various unsolved ciphers, ranging from ancient scripts to modern codes and puzzles. The book also invites readers to try their hand at cracking the ciphers, offering clues and hints along the way. The book received positive reviews from critics and readers, who praised its engaging style, comprehensive coverage, and intriguing content.

Author Craig P. Bauer is an American mathematician, cryptologist, and author. He is a professor of mathematics at York College of Pennsylvania, where he teaches courses on cryptography, linear algebra, and discrete mathematics. He is also the editor-in-chief of the international journal Cryptologia. He has been a scholar-in-residence at the National Security Agency’s Center for Cryptologic History.

… excerpt ends here. Continue reading the full article.

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Unsolved!

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Unsolved! claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In computer science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Unsolved! before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Unsolved! ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Unsolved!

In research: Unsolved! appears in computer science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Unsolved! in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Unsolved! is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 2017 non-fiction books, Cryptography books, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Unsolved! outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Unsolved! in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Unsolved! means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Unsolved! out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Unsolved! in simple terms?

Unsolved! The History and Mystery of the World’s Greatest Ciphers from Ancient Egypt to Online Secret Societies is a 2017 book by American mathematician and cryptologist Craig P.

Why does Unsolved! matter?

Because it connects several computer science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Unsolved!?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Unsolved!.