ABSTRACT
In this chapter, we study some engineering applications of number-theoretic algorithms. The American mathematician Leonard Eugene Dickson (18741954) commented: Thank God that number theory is unsullied by any application. This assertion is no longer true. The development of error-correcting codes in the 1950s/60s involved first serious engineering applications of finite fields. The advent of public-key cryptography in late nineteen seventies opens yet another avenue of application. Almost everything that appears in earlier chapters has profound implications in public-key cryptography. This chapter provides an introductory exposure to public-key algorithms. This is not a book on cryptography. Nonetheless, a treatment of some practical applications of the otherwise theoretical study may be motivating to the readers.
