AQUiLA MYSTERIOUS MATHS ACTIVITY
HaveaOne-TimePadChat ! WiltheCodebeCracked ?
Ifyouenjoyedthearticleabouttop-secretnumberstationsinourMysteriousMathsissue , thenthisactivityisforyou !
Learning objectives
– Learnaboutcreativewaystosharecodes . – Thinkaboutthedetailsyouhavetogetrighttoshareacodeproperly
O
1 hour + INDIVIDUAL or PAIRS DIFFICULTY LEVEL : Easy peasy
Yourmission
Talkingissuchanuntrendywaytocommunicateinthespyworld . Ifyourealywanttoimpresyourlocalsecretsociety , you ’ l needtocreateaone-timepad !
Getstarted
Phase 1 : Make your one-time pad
Thinkofasimplesentenceyouwouldliketosharewithafriendorfamilymemberinsecret . Here ’ sanexample :
Lookoutforangrypenguins
You will need – Anaudiorecorder ( suchas arecordingapporalaptop webcam ) – Apen / pencil – Twosheetsofpaper
Next , decidehowyouwanttoreplacealtheletersinyoursecretmessage . Youcoulduse numbers , names , animalnoises . haveathink !
Takeapieceofpaperandlistaltheletersofthealphabet . Nexttoeachleter , writewhat you ’ regoingtoreplacethem with . Forexample , ifyouwentdowntheanimalnoiseroute , yourlistmightstartsomethinglikethis :
A = dogwoof B = catmeow C = elephanthonk D = pigoink
Andsoon !( Goodluck�nding26differentanimalnoises , Ed .) Ifyouwantedtousenumbers instead , yourlistmightstartthisway , withdifferent , random numbersinplaceofleters :
A = 60 B = 14 C = 103 D = 2
Whenthesheetiscomplete , youwilhaveyourone-timepad . It ’ s ‘ one-time ’ becauseitwil onlyeverbeusedforasinglecode . Afterthat , itwilbeuseles ! Thismeansyourdastardly enemiescan ’ ttryitoutthemselves . Fiendish !
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