replacement ciphers. Cryptography: Spy Games

I wanted to write in today's post about a very interesting book- the magnificent tales of J. Rodari, but I think I'll leave this topic for later, after the night incident. And at night we broke away bookshelf- could not stand the tons of books standing on it. Thank God, Gleb slept on the bottom floor of the bed, Mark was with us, and the shelf fell on the top floor and no one was hurt. But I didn't want to write a post about another book))

And I will write about ciphers, cryptography, all kinds of signs, symbols and puzzles for children. And most importantly, how such games are related to the development of the child.
The development of mathematical abilities is directly related to the development of logic, memory and abstract thinking. In addition, in mathematics, special importance is given to symbols and signs. I remember very well that in primary school many children had a stupor in solving equations because they could not understand how a number can be replaced by a letter. And to solve problems in general view and for a long time even many graduates do not know how. Although, in fact, there is nothing complicated here, and you can start practicing from the age of 4-5.

Puzzles for children in the form of various secret entries, ciphers, riddles are also successful in that they arouse a child's keen interest, curiosity, thirst for play, the desire to think and solve!

And here's a riddle for you: in encryption?

Puzzles for kids: ciphers and cryptograms

- encryption with substitution- great puzzles for kids. In this type of encryption, each letter is replaced by another, for example, the letter "O" to the letter "Sh", the letter "K" to the letter "R", the letter "T" to the letter "C". Thus the word CAT will look like RSC.

Older children can be offered to solve ciphertexts on their own. For example, writing the phrase "my cat hippo", like this "Yeshu rshts yuzzeshts" and saying that: eat; y-y, r-k, y-b. Most likely for children 7-8 years old this information will be enough. Younger children need to paint each letter: for them, even the simple replacement of one character for another can be a difficult task.

- encryption with pictures or puzzles. Everything is simple here: we come up with a picture for each word or letter. And then we try to write letters in this way.

On the long rope tie other ropes. The rope has a color and a number of knots, and each combination of color + knots means something. For example, white and 1 knot means to jump, red and 2 knots means to run, blue and 3 knots means to lie down. Thus, you can send messages and even write letters. Designations can be written down, or you can rely on memory.

- cipher plate
To make such a sign, you will need a small piece of cardboard in which you will need to cut square holes. Now lay the cardboard on a regular sheet of paper. In each hole, write a letter so that you end up with a word or a sentence. Now remove the cardboard, and fill the rest of the space with any random letters. You can read such a cipher only if you have a ciphergram at hand.

- reverse reading. This is not even encryption, because once you have guessed the encryption method, you already know exactly how to solve all the others. But children usually like such simple codes.

Attention! If the child has just learned to read and confuses which side to read - right or left - do not use this game yet. This may confuse him even more.
On the other hand, if the child, on the contrary, reads well, then you can play verbally, for example, on a walk - the game develops logic and memory very well.

- write with milk, a candle. Here, too, everything is simple - having learned once that you need to hold it over the fire (by the way, only with your parents) or paint it over with paint, the cipher is easily solved. But the feeling of wonder still remains.

- encryption using the keyboard. If the child is familiar with the keyboard, then you can write ciphers, for example English letters. The child will find this letter on the keyboard and see what Russian letter is written on the same key. Actually, this is almost the same as replacing encryption, only replacing with English letters and it has already been done for us))

In general, in the section of the sign system, you can find many other useful games. And to stop look for games on the Internet, and start playing and engaging with children, click

Imagine the world around you, in which there is not a single secret, not a single unsolved riddle. How boring it would be! Who loves everything mysterious and secret more than anyone in the world? Of course, children! Their inquisitive mind seeks to explore the unknown, to find the key to all secrets.

On the other hand, a child, like any other person, has his own secrets: how else could he feel like a person and keep his “I” in front of other people, including adults. Let's remember ourselves in childhood: writing a note to a school friend, did we write it using 33 letters of the alphabet? Most likely not: a special secret alphabet served these purposes. Each friendly company had its own, but, one way or another, it helped to keep secret what we did not want to tell everyone and everyone.

Such a game of "spies" and "detectives" will appeal to almost everyone. It's great to imagine being 007 or a character in your favorite detective story! In addition, cryptography perfectly develops thinking: after all, converting some signs into others, incomprehensible, is only half the battle, you also need to be able to quickly read the encrypted messages of your comrades. And this is the real one logic puzzle, not less! Its implementation requires concentration, attention and a good sense of rhythm from the young decoder.

Is it really interesting? Be patient and read this article to the end. In it you will find detailed advice how to create a secret cipher, and also learn where it can be applied, and get acquainted with a brief history cryptography is the science of encryption.

Where a person is, there is a mystery, or Some interesting facts from the history of encryption

Everyone has their own secrets, so it's fair to say: "Where there is a man, there is a mystery." Back in the II millennium BC. in Ancient Egypt there was a written language called enigma, and the Greeks in the 5th-4th centuries. BC. one of the first encryption devices, the Skital, was invented. By the way, the Greeks came up with the idea of translating letters into numbers (if only they knew that in the future their idea would turn into the so-called "school cipher", about it - below).
IN ancient india cryptography was considered one of the 64 arts that women should also master.
The first book on encryption was published on Arabic in 855 and was called "The book about the great desire of a person to unravel the mysteries of ancient writing."
In Russia from the XII-XIII centuries. litorea was used - a special alphabetic cipher, when the vowels in the words remained in place, and the consonants changed places.
Both children and adults are familiar with Arthur Conan Doyle's detective story The Dancing Men. But few people know that humanoid badges were invented as early as the 8th century. Emperor Charlemagne.
But the writer (and part-time mathematician) Lewis Carroll invented his own method of encryption, and in very unusual circumstances. One cold winter evening (however, as always) a lot of brilliant ideas were spinning in his head. But he did not want to crawl out from under a warm blanket to light a candle, and Carroll came up with nyctograf- a special stencil with which you can write in the dark!

What is a secret cipher? Instructions for a young detective.

1. Replacing one character with another

There are many such ciphers. There are even entire cryptographic “libraries” on the World Wide Web, where all these codes are collected, decrypted and conveniently designed. You can change one letter for another, letters for numbers, real characters for fictitious ones.

A striking example is the “school cipher” mentioned above - probably the simplest and most fast way encryption. Its principle is to remember the numbers of the letters in the alphabet and replace the letters with numbers separated by commas. For example, the word "mother" would look like "14, 1, 14, 1". For greater secrecy, numbers can be shifted - for example, with an interval of +3: the letter A will turn into 4, and M - into 17.

An analogue of the "school cipher" can be created by stroking an ordinary computer keyboard: just replace the Russian letters with the corresponding Latin characters. This, by the way, will help improve your typing skills.

This also includes the "dancing little men" and L. Carroll's nyctography. Come up with your own original cipher: you can do this not only with your peers, but also with the whole family, and then find encrypted notes in the kitchen in the morning. Great exercise for the mind!

Examples:
alarm clock - 4, 23, 7, 12, 15, 32, 17, 12, 14 (key - letter number +2)
candy - rjyatnf ("keyboard" cipher)
shop - nizgagam, toy - akshgrui, boot - kontiob (try to guess the key to this cipher yourself!)

2. Half-word

This encryption method was used in Ancient Russia to classify secret messages and documents. The signs of a semi-word vaguely resemble real letters, but unfinished. You can do the opposite - to supplement the well-known letters with new elements so that they change almost beyond recognition.

3. Insert extra sounds

In each class there are such "polyglots" who periodically start talking to each other in an incomprehensible language. You listen, you listen - and you can’t make out: is it English, German, or even some kind of gibberish! The last assumption is closest to the truth. The so-called "gibberish language" consists of the words of your native language, in which extra sounds are inserted after each syllable. Suppose we want to pronounce the word "school" so that only our narrow circle understands it. friendly company. There is nothing simpler: we add some syllable to it, for example, “ro”, and instead of “school” we get the mysterious “shkorolaro”. And if you insert "ro" before the syllables, no one will definitely hear the well-known word!

By the way, if the previous encryption method is suitable only for written negotiations, then this one is just perfect for oral ones.

Examples:
gift - as long as the kurokku
bookmark - notemecame
university - uzonizoverzosizotetzo

4. The letter is the opposite.

Everything is extremely simple and clear here: we write all the words backwards. Or maybe someone will be able to speak such an encrypted language! In any case, the logic will become just iron.

Examples:
backpack - kazkyur
locomotive - zovorap
computer - retyupmok
informational - yynnoitsamrofni
electricity - jaigrenäortkele

5. Creative cryptography.

Who said that letters and words need to be replaced with exactly similar squiggles? After all, the secret alphabet can be created from alternative characters. There is also a 3D pipeline alphabet, where the letters are differently curved pipes. And the experimenter John Ragsdale quite recently, in 2006, came up with the Puzzle Code, where the parts of the message are parts of a complex puzzle. If everything is in order with your imagination (and it certainly is), come up with your own unique cipher and tell everyone about it!

Where can the art of cryptography come in handy?

– For secret correspondence with friends. But in the classroom it’s better not to do this, but to listen to the teacher and wind up new information, then it will definitely come in handy!

- For your own notes, which are not intended for prying eyes.

– For smart and addictive play. This entertainment will go with a bang at any party, especially a themed one, where you invite guests to be a little great detectives or cool secret agents.

- Going to long way we always stock up good books and fun games. Why not solve some encrypted story instead of a crossword puzzle? This can be done at speed, together with friends!

- In language classes - foreign or native. This is a great alternative to textbook exercises: transcribing a famous poem or catchphrase will surely attract interest in the subject being studied and will allow you to master spelling in a fun way.

Try yourself in the role of a brilliant cryptographer - and test the possibilities of your mind!

My memories from childhood + imagination were enough for exactly one quest: a dozen tasks that are not duplicated.
But the children liked the fun, they asked for more quests and had to go online.
This article will not describe the scenario, legends, design. But there will be 13 ciphers to encode the tasks for the quest.

Code number 1. Picture

Drawing or photo that directly indicates the place where the next clue is hidden, or a hint of it: broom + socket = vacuum cleaner
Complication: make a puzzle by cutting the photo into several parts.

Code 2. Leapfrog.

Swap the letters in the word: SOFA \u003d NIDAV

Code 3. Greek alphabet.

Encode the message with the letters of the Greek alphabet, and give the children the key:

Code 4. On the contrary.

Write the assignment backwards:

every word:
Etischi dalk dop yonsos
or the whole sentence, or even a paragraph:
etsem morcom momas in - akzaksdop yaaschuudelS. itup monrev an yv

Code 5. Mirror.

(when I made a quest for my children, at the very beginning I gave them a "magic bag": there was a key to the "Greek alphabet", a mirror, "windows", pens and sheets of paper, and all sorts of unnecessary stuff to confuse. Finding another riddle , they had to figure out for themselves what from the bag would help to find a clue)

Code 6. Rebus.

The word is encoded in pictures:

Code 7. Next letter.

We write a word, replacing all the letters in it with the next ones in alphabetical order (then I is replaced by A, in a circle). Or previous, or following through 5 letters :).

CABINET = SCHLBH

Code 8. Classics to help.

I took a poem (and told the children which one) and a code of 2 digits: line number number of letters in the line.

Example:

Pushkin "Winter Evening"

A storm covers the sky with mist,
Whirlwinds of snow twisting;
Like a beast, she will howl
It will cry like a child
That on a dilapidated roof
Suddenly the straw will rustle,
Like a belated traveler
There will be a knock on our window.

21 44 36 32 82 82 44 33 12 23 82 28

did you read where is the clue? :)

Code 9. Dungeon.

In a 3x3 grid, enter the letters:

Then the word WINDOW is encrypted like this:

Code 10. Labyrinth.

My children liked this cipher, it is unlike the others, because it is not so much for brains as for attention.

So:

on a long thread / rope you hook the letters in order, as they go in the word. Then you stretch the rope, twist it and tangle it in every possible way between the supports (trees, legs, etc.). After walking along the thread, as if through a maze, from the 1st letter to the last, the children will recognize the clue word.

And imagine if you wrap one of the adult guests in this way!
Children read - The next clue is on Uncle Vasya.
And they run to feel Uncle Vasya. Eh, if he is also afraid of tickling, then everyone will have fun!

Code 11. Invisible ink.

Write the word with a wax candle. If you paint over the sheet with watercolors, then it can be read.
(there are other invisible inks .. milk, lemon, something else .. But I only had a candle in my house :))

Code 12. Rubbish.

The vowels remain unchanged, while the consonants change according to the key.
for example:
OVEK SHOMOZKO
reads like - VERY COLD, if you know the key:
D L X N H
Z M Shch K V

Code 13. Windows.

The kids loved it so much! They then encrypted messages to each other with these windows all day long.
So: on one sheet we cut out windows, as many as there are letters in the word. This is a stencil, we apply it to a blank sheet and write a hint word "in the windows". Then we remove the stencil and on the remaining clean place on the sheet we write many different other unnecessary letters. You can read the cipher if you attach a stencil with windows.
The children first fell into a stupor when they found a sheet covered with letters. Then they twisted the stencil back and forth, but you still need to attach it with the right side!

Code 14. Map, Billy!

Draw a map and mark (X) the location of the treasure.
When I made my quest for the first time, I decided that the map is very simple for them, so they need to make it more mysterious (later it turned out that just a map would be enough for the children to get confused and run in the opposite direction) ...

This is our street map. The clues here are house numbers (to understand that this is our street in general) and huskies. This dog lives next door.
The children did not immediately recognize the area, they asked me leading questions ..
Then 14 children participated in the quest, so I combined them into 3 teams. They had 3 versions of this map and each had its place marked. As a result, each team found one word:
"SHOW" "TALE" "REAP"
That was the next task :). After him were hilarious photos!
On my son's 9th birthday, there was no time to invent a quest and I bought it on the MasterFuns website .. At my own peril and risk, because the description there is not very good.
But we liked it with the children, because:

inexpensive (analogue somewhere around $ 4 per set)
fast (paid - downloaded - printed - for everything about everything in 15-20 minutes)
a lot of tasks, with a margin. And although I didn’t like all the riddles, but there was plenty to choose from, and you could enter your task
everything is decorated in one monster style and this gives the holiday an effect. In addition to the tasks for the quest, the kit includes: a postcard, flags, table decorations, invitations to guests. And it's all about the monsters! :)
in addition to the 9-year-old birthday man and his friends, I also have a 5-year-old daughter. The tasks are beyond her strength, but she and her friend also found entertainment - 2 games with monsters, which were also in the set. Phew, in the end - everyone is happy!

Games for the ability to concentrate

Card games

"Tricky Numbers"

Option 1

To play, you will need 20 cards on which you need to write numbers from 1 to 20.

2 people participate, for example an adult and a child. The cards are shuffled, half is given to the child, who lays them out in front of him in random order. The adult lays out one of his cards in front of the child. Seeing a number on it, the child must choose from their cards the card with the nearest number in ascending or descending order (this must be agreed in advance) and put on top. If he has the next number in order, then he will put another card, and so on. Then the adult lays out the second card. The child does the same. The game continues until one of the participants runs out of cards.

Option 2

To play you will need the same 20 cards with numbers.

The cards are shuffled and laid out in front of the child in a square of 3 in 3 rows, that is, 9 randomly selected cards out of 20 are used. The child must shift the cards so that the numbers are in ascending (or descending) order, starting from the upper left corner.

As you study with cards, the tasks become more complicated: more of them can be used, the time to complete the task is limited.

"One after the other"

To play you will need a set of cards with all the letters of the alphabet.

Lay out the cards in front of the child. Some of the letters are not in alphabetical order. The child should carefully look at the cards and swap them so as to restore the alphabetical order. You can start classes with 3-4 incorrectly placed cards. Subsequently, the tasks become more difficult, the number of necessary movements increases.

The ability to concentrate is well trained when playing a game to accurately copy the original sample. We suggest you use alphabetic material for this, this will help the child to accurately complete tasks in the Russian language.

"Don't Lose Letters"

For the game you will need cards on which you need to write combinations of letters that look like words, but are not.

The child is given the task to accurately rewrite the lines. Variants of this game differ in difficulty levels. At the initial stage of the lesson, you can carry out the first and second versions of the game, making lines by analogy with the following: in total, 7-8 letters are used in a letter combination, of which 3-4 letters alternate.

Option 1

SLASELLA DASSEKE SELASSA

Option 2

CORRIX KUSURA IKOSSIR

Option 3

PREMARAP STASSIT RAMMETAT

Option 4

RAKISSUMAKIRU KAMMUKAR

Option 5

PERILLIMENAT KOSIKUMARANN

Option 6

RAPETONNEED PELACUSSI

Analogues of the third-sixth options are used at those stages of training with the child, when he will already be able to easily cope with the first options of the game, that is, he will learn to concentrate his attention to a certain extent. Classic game tasks for finding differences in pictures are for the development of attention. We propose to look for differences in combinations of letters, numbers, geometric shapes. This will develop the vigilance needed when doing written work in the classroom.

"Find differences"

You will need paired cards to play (see sample below).

Comparing the cards, the child must find the indicated number of differences in signs.

Option 1

Look closely and find 3 differences.

Option 2

Look closely and find 5 differences.

Option 3

Option 4

Look closely and find 6 differences.

Games for concentration and switching attention

To train concentration and switch attention, it is very useful to periodically play "Cypher". Suitable for first graders simple options"Encryption" with keys. For older children - "Encryption" with permutations and omissions, where a higher degree of ability to concentrate and switch attention is required to complete tasks. It is very important for a child to learn to switch attention from one object to another. This will help to avoid errors when performing various tasks in the classroom: from copying off the board to solving math examples.

"Encryption" with keys

To play, you will need cards with encryption keys, which represent the correspondence of letters to numbers, for example: A - 1.

Numbers from 0 to 9 are used, that is, 10 letters can be encoded, of which words should consist. You give the child the task of encrypting the words using the key. The simplest options contain short words and easy keys. These options are used for early stages classes with first graders. On a piece of paper, you write words in a column, give it to the child and offer to write its secret cipher next to each word.

Option 1

river - 0564; squeak - 7216; oven - 7598; slippers - 34762; brush -62138

peach - 750126; print - 759438; brick - 620729

Option 3

cake - 4734; labor - 4359; grass - 43212; sleeve - 35021; goods - 47123

cow - 073712; gate - 173742; turn - 8717374

screwdriver - 74163402; horseshoe - 8790712; square - 0129324

You can also play vice versa. In this case, it is necessary to encrypt the words in advance, give the child a key and offer to decrypt. It will be very interesting for a child to guess words by replacing numbers with letters.

"Encryption" with permutations and gaps

To play, you will need a piece of paper on which you need to write words and sentences in advance, leaving free space for writing the encryption.

Various encryption options are offered.

Option 1

Encrypt words and sentences by writing the words backwards.

sleeve - vakur

It's cold outside today. - Yandoges an etzilu ondoloh.

Option 2

Encrypt the words by swapping the first and last syllables.

good - rustling; weather - dagopo; mathematics - katema-tima

Option 3

Encrypt the sentence by writing it with omissions of all vowels.

We go to school. - Zhdm in school.

You can come up with other options for encryption.

On this day, the Cryptographic Service of Russia celebrates its professional holiday.

"Cryptography" from ancient Greek means "secret writing".

How were the words hidden?

A peculiar method of transmitting a secret letter existed during the reign of the dynasty of the Egyptian pharaohs:

chose a slave. They shaved his head bald and applied the text of the message to it with waterproof vegetable paint. When the hair grew, it was sent to the addressee.

Cipher- this is some kind of text transformation system with a secret (key) to ensure the secrecy of the transmitted information.

AiF.ru made a selection interesting facts from the history of encryption.

All secret writing systems have

1. Acrostic- a meaningful text (word, phrase or sentence), composed of the initial letters of each line of the poem.

Here, for example, is a riddle poem with a clue in the first letters:

D I am generally known by my own name;
R the rogue and the blameless swear by him,
At tehoy in disasters I am more than anything,
F life is sweeter with me and in the best share.
B I can serve the happiness of pure souls alone,
BUT between the villains - I will not be created.
Yuri Neledinsky-Meletsky
Sergei Yesenin, Anna Akhmatova, Valentin Zagoryansky often used acrostics.

2. Litorrhea- a kind of cipher writing used in ancient Russian handwritten literature. It is simple and wise. A simple one is called a gibberish letter, it consists in the following: putting consonants in two rows in order:

they use upper letters instead of lower letters in writing and vice versa, and the vowels remain unchanged; for example, tokepot = kitten etc.

Wise litorea implies more complex substitution rules.

3. "ROT1"- cipher for kids?

You may have used it as a child too. The key to the cipher is very simple: each letter of the alphabet is replaced by the next letter.

A becomes B, B becomes C, and so on. "ROT1" literally means "rotate 1 letter forward in the alphabet". Phrase "I love borscht" turn into a secret phrase "A yavmya vps". This cipher is meant to be fun, easy to understand and decipher, even if the key is used backwards.

4. From the rearrangement of terms ...

During World War I, confidential messages were sent using so-called permutation fonts. In them, the letters are rearranged using some given rules or keys.

For example, words can be written backwards so that the phrase "mom washed the frame" turns into a phrase "amam alym umar". Another permutation key is to permute each pair of letters so that the previous message becomes "am um um al ar um".

It may seem that complex permutation rules can make these ciphers very difficult. However, many encrypted messages can be decrypted using anagrams or modern computer algorithms.

5. Caesar's shift cipher

It consists of 33 different ciphers, one for each letter of the alphabet (the number of ciphers varies depending on the alphabet of the language used). The person had to know which Julius Caesar cipher to use in order to decipher the message. For example, if the cipher YO is used, then A becomes YO, B becomes F, C becomes Z, and so on alphabetically. If Y is used, then A becomes Y, B becomes Z, C becomes A, and so on. This algorithm is the basis for many more complex ciphers, but by itself does not provide reliable protection message secrets, since checking 33 various keys cipher will take a relatively short time.

Nobody could. Try you

Encrypted public messages tease us with their intrigue. Some of them still remain unsolved. Here they are:

Cryptos. A sculpture by artist Jim Sanborn that is located in front of the Central Intelligence Agency headquarters in Langley, Virginia. The sculpture contains four ciphers; it has not been possible to open the fourth code so far. In 2010, it was revealed that the characters 64-69 NYPVTT in the fourth part stand for the word BERLIN.

Now that you have read the article, you will surely be able to solve three simple ciphers.