| When | Monday 9:00 - 10:00 |
| Teacher Name | JeffAdams |
| Target Age Range | 9 - None |
| General Grade Level | Middle School, Lower High School, Upper High School, College |
| Ability Level | Introductory |
| Skill Requirements/Prerequisites | Students must be fluent readers. They should be able to do perform complex tasks such as "count the number of times the letter 'Q' appears in the odd-numbered positions in this message". |
| Book Title | |
| ISBN | |
| Family Provided Materials | Students will need access to a computer. They will need to be able to download / read notes from the Internet. They will need to be able to load and edit a Spreadsheet (e.g. Excel, but other freeware packages like OpenOffice Calc will also work) |
| Instructor Provided Materials | |
| Study Group Style | Lecture |
| Description | Imagine that you are a secret agent and that you have just intercepted a secret message from the enemy: ZSSZBJ ZS CZVM. What does it say? How can you break it? If you think you have broken it, how can you be sure? In this study group, we will explore many different kinds of codes, ciphers, and hidden writing. We will practice making, and breaking, each other's messages. We'll also learn a little bit about some exciting real-life codes, and code-breaking, that changed history. We will not use a book for this class, but will rely on notes from the instructor and various online references. Jeff Adams, the instructor, can neither confirm nor deny that he spent several years employed by the U.S. Government as a codebreaker. NOTE: This class has mandatory participation. Students who don't participate in the exercises (either in class or out of class) will be asked to withdraw. Fortunately, participating should be a lot of fun, so we don't expect a lot of problems here. Parents, please elicit a commitment to participate from your child before signing up for this class. |