Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Application Of Linear Sequences To Cryptography, Amanda C. Yeates

Honors Theses

Cryptography is the study of a centuries–old technique of secretly transferring information between parties. Linear recurrences were the chosen method of encryption and decryption in the thesis. The Fibonacci sequence, with its Zeckendorf representation, allows for the flexibility of encoding any number desired based on a particular encoding technique used in the film Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows. The main goal is to find other linear recurrences that possess characteristics similar to the Fibonacci sequence to use as suitable substitutes for encoding. Different sequences were analyzed based on a number of criteria. In order for a sequence to be …