Cryptology in Cinema, Literature, and MusicTeam 6

Joseph Gamble and Lakhbir Singh

Cryptology is used throughout many fields including music, cinema, and literature.

The idea of hiding information from an enemy is intriguing, and is often used to entertain

Some notable instances of cryptology in these fields range from Edgar Allan Poe to Dan Brown's book/movie The DaVinci Code

Sherlock Holmes is famous for breaking ciphers in order to solve crimes.

The Dancing Men Cipher shown below is one example

Poe was a cryptology enthusiast and his short story “The Golden Bug” was one of the first instances of cryptology in fiction.

He used letter frequencies .

53‡‡†305))6*;4826)4‡.)4‡);806*;48†8 ¶60))85;1‡(;:‡*8†83(88)5*†;46(;88*96 *?;8)*‡(;485);5*†2:*‡(;4956*2(5*—4)8 ¶8*;4069285);)6†8)4‡‡;1(‡9;48081;8:8‡ 1;48†85;4)485†528806*81(‡9;48;(88;4 (‡?34;48)4‡;161;:188;‡?;

The decoded message is:A good glass in the bishop's hostel in the devil's seatforty-one degrees and thirteen minutes northeast and by northmain branch seventh limb east side shoot from the left eye of the death's-heada bee line from the tree through the shot fifty feet out.

Dan Brown's DaVinci Code was a huge success when it was published in 2003

The novel uses ideas from DaVinci's work in cryptology. He transfers information using a tube of

lettered dials that must be turned in the right sequence

DaVinci: Father of Cryptography?

http://www.wired.com/culture/lifestyle/news/2003/04/58378

Influences of cryptology on culture

ovid.cs.depaul.edu/Classes/CS233-W04/Papers/cryptosociety.doc

Poe and Cryptology

http://www.cleavebooks.co.uk/trol/trolc.htm

The Gold-Bug

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Gold-Bug