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Code and ciphers: Julius Caesar, the Enigma and the internet

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116<br />

chapter 9<br />

Plate 9.4 The <strong>Enigma</strong> with <strong>the</strong> top <strong>and</strong> flap open. The three wheels <strong>and</strong><br />

reflector are now visible as is <strong>the</strong> plugboard at <strong>the</strong> front.<br />

Encipherment using wired wheels<br />

Before we can underst<strong>and</strong> how encipherment was carried out in <strong>the</strong><br />

<strong>Enigma</strong> we need to see what happens when current from <strong>the</strong> keyboard<br />

passes through a single wired wheel. Since <strong>the</strong>re are 26 contact points on<br />

each side of <strong>the</strong> wheel <strong>and</strong> <strong>the</strong> wires connecting <strong>the</strong> pairs of points on<br />

opposite faces are ‘r<strong>and</strong>omly placed’ <strong>the</strong> current entering at, say, A will<br />

emerge at one of <strong>the</strong> 26 points on <strong>the</strong> opposite face. We cannot predict <strong>the</strong><br />

exit point unless we know <strong>the</strong> internal wiring of <strong>the</strong> wheel, but let us<br />

suppose that it is Y. If <strong>the</strong> wheel now turns, <strong>the</strong> wire that carried <strong>the</strong><br />

current from A to Y will move one position on each side <strong>and</strong> will now carry<br />

<strong>the</strong> current from B to Z. Likewise, if B was connected to M <strong>and</strong> C was connected<br />

to A before <strong>the</strong> wheel turned <strong>the</strong>n C <strong>and</strong> D will be connected to N<br />

<strong>and</strong> B respectively after <strong>the</strong> wheel has turned. This is illustrated in Figure<br />

9.2.<br />

When <strong>the</strong> wheel has turned 26 times <strong>the</strong> wires will be back in <strong>the</strong>ir<br />

original positions <strong>and</strong> A, B <strong>and</strong> C will again be connected to Y, M <strong>and</strong> A<br />

respectively.<br />

If we know <strong>the</strong> wiring connections inside a wheel we will know <strong>the</strong><br />

encipherment of every letter, A, B, C, ..., Z at position 1 of <strong>the</strong> wheel <strong>and</strong><br />

we can <strong>the</strong>n work out <strong>the</strong> encipherment of any letter at any position of <strong>the</strong>

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