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NOVA scienceNOW: Kryptos
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Program Overview
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Scientists introduce Kryptos, a giant sculpture with an
encrypted message that many people are working to decipher.
This NOVA scienceNOW segment:
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introduces Kryptos, a copper sculpture located outside
the CIA headquarters in Virginia, and Jim Sanborn, the sculptor
who created Kryptos.
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describes three kinds of codes: substitution, transposition, and
concealment.
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explains that the people sending and receiving encoded messages
must agree on the rules of the code system so that messages can
be understood.
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states that when Sanborn created Kryptos, he cut four
encrypted messages from a copper plate and that he is the only
person who knows the complete solution to Kryptos.
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reports that at least 1,000 people are trying to solve the
Kryptos codes.
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reveals that Parts 1 to 3 of Kryptos were solved largely
by cryptographer Jim Gillogly, but Part 4 remains unsolved.
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explains that letters of the alphabet occur with predictable
frequency, and that even when transposed, these letter
frequencies remain the same. Knowing this helped Jim Gillogly
solve parts of Kryptos.
Taping Rights: Can be used up to one year after the program
is taped off the air.
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