July 27 - August 16, 1997
What is an "unbreakable" code? When is a sequence "random?" What is a "secure" electronic
protocol? These questions can be answered rigorously and mathematically.
Puzzle: Collaborating in the absence of trust
Suppose that n people want to compute the average of their salaries. The catch is that no
individual wishes to reveal any information about his/her salary (that can't be inferred from the
knowing the average). Give a method by which the individuals can accomplish this without
using any outside, trusted third parties. For example, they could all type their salary into a
computer program that simply printed out the average, but this does not count as a valid solution
because they would all have to trust the computer program.
High school teachers who love mathematics and wanted to learn more were invited to apply for
an all expenses paid, three-week immersion program at the DIMACS Research and Education
Institute.
The intent of the DIMACS Research and Education Institute was to integrate education and
research in the mathematical and computer sciences. The institute also invited many of the
world's foremost researchers in cryptography and network security to participate. In addition to
giving technical talks in their areas of expertise, invited researchers also gave lectures
designed to be of interest to a more general audience. Participating teachers had special
classes in Discrete Mathematics, Computer Science, and the Foundations of Cryptography.
Questions or comments may be sent to Elaine Foley at: drei@dimacs.rutgers.edub
DIMACS Center, CoRE Bldg., Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, 96 Frelinghuysen Road,
Piscataway, NJ 08854-8018, USA
TEL: (732) 445-4631 FAX: (732) 445-5932 EMAIL: center@dimacs.rutgers.edu
WWW: http://dimacs.rutgers.edu/ TELNET: telnet info.rutgers.edu 90