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Encyclopedia > Pinwheel (cryptography)
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The German Lorenz cipher machine contained 12 pinwheels, with a total of 501 pins

. Download high resolution version (2304x1728, 1504 KB)Wheels of a Lorenz SZ42 cipher machine (at Bletchley Park). ... Download high resolution version (2304x1728, 1504 KB)Wheels of a Lorenz SZ42 cipher machine (at Bletchley Park). ...


In cryptography, a pinwheel was a device for producing a short pseudorandom sequence of bits (determined by the machine's initial settings), as a component in a cipher machine. A pinwheel consisted of a rotating wheel with a certain number of positions on its periphery. Each position had a "pin" or "lug" which could be either "set" or "unset". As the wheel rotated, each of these pins would in turn affect other parts of the machine, producing a series of "on" or "off" pulses which would repeat after one full rotation of the wheel. If the machine contained more than one wheel, usually their periods would be relatively prime to maximize the combined period. Cryptography portal Cryptography (from Greek kryptós, hidden, and gráphein, to write) is, traditionally, the study of means of converting information from its normal, comprehensible form into an incomprehensible format, rendering it unreadable without secret knowledge — the art of encryption. ... A pseudo-random number is a number belonging to a sequence which appears to be random, but can in fact be generated by a finite computation. ... A bit (abbreviated b) is the most basic information unit used in computing and information theory. ... In mathematics, the integers a and b are said to be coprime or relatively prime if and only if they have no common factor other than 1 and −1, or equivalently, if their greatest common divisor is 1. ...


Pinwheels might be turned through a purely mechanical action (as in the M-209) or electromechanically (as in the Lorenz SZ 40/42). Other cipher machines which used pinwheels include the C-52, the CD-57 and the Siemens and Halske T52. In cryptography, the M-209, designated CSP-1500 by the Navy (C-48 by the manufacturer) is a portable, mechanical cipher machine used by the US military primarily in World War II, though it remained in active use through the Korean War. ... In engineering, electromechanical devices are those that combine electrical and mechanical parts. ... For the fish, see Tuna. ... The (Hagelin) C-52 and CX-52 were cipher machines manufactured by Crypto AG starting 1951/1952. ... The (Hagelin) CD-57 was a portable, mechanical cipher machine manufactured by Crypto AG, first produced in 1957 (1). ... STURGEON exhibit at the National Cryptologic Museum. ...


Pinwheels can be viewed as a predecessor to the electronic linear feedback shift register (LFSR), used in later cryptosystems. A linear feedback shift register is a shift register whose input is the exclusive-or of some of its outputs. ...


See also


  Results from FactBites:
 
Pinwheel (cryptography) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (229 words)
In cryptography, a pinwheel was a device for producing a short pseudorandom sequence of bits (determined by the machine's initial settings), as a component in a cipher machine.
Pinwheels might be turned through a purely mechanical action (as in the M-209) or electromechanically (as in the Lorenz SZ 40/42).
Pinwheels can be viewed as a predecessor to the electronic linear feedback shift register (LFSR), used in later cryptosystems.
  More results at FactBites »


 

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