User talk:Thegodofchaos/PSdraft

Instructor Comments on Draft/Peer Review 2

JeremyML thanks for your review, and for your helpful suggestions for improving the content and grammatical aspects of this article. I would have liked to see a bit more written about the content of this article, including the overall comprehension, presentation, etc. Overall, good advice but lacking overall commentary. Grade: 11.5/15

Thegodofchaos I know you were struggling to add content in this round of edits, and you got stuck with your sources - this likely resulted in you not adding as much info as you wanted. Unfortunately, this means that it didn't give your peer reviewer a whole lot of new material to go off of. I see you've made the changes they suggested, which is great, and that you plan to add more to the adaptations section. Maybe the section you flagged for removal (at the end, beginning "The Polybius cipher can be used with a keyword like the Playfair cipher.") can be added to that section? I only suggest this because the article is so short as it is (not through any fault of your own, just a lack of info) that you'll want to keep as much as possible. Likewise, your peer suggested removing the sentence beginning "Indeed, it can be signalled in many simple ways ..." but I think you should keep it - as long as you can cite it! Now, for the improvements for the rest of term - did you manage to get any of the books/resources we talked about before the library shut down (Polybius' Histories commentary, for example)? I want you to follow up on the plan we discussed, and add more info on the background of this event and why Polybius was writing about it. I think you might also be stuck because you don't want to add information that seems too simple or obvious but, trust me, this topic is quite complex so put as much background info as you can. For example, in the lead, you say that: "The Polybius square, also known as the Polybius checkerboard, is a device invented by the Ancient Greeks Cleoxenus and Democleitus, and "perfected" by the Ancient Greek historian and scholar Polybius according to himself[1]. The device is used for fractionating plaintext characters so that they can be represented by a smaller set of symbols, which is useful for telegraphy, steganography, and cryptography. " Between these first two sentences you should add a sentence for the casual Wikipedia reader explaining that this is a "means of transmitting messages through code" (or something to that effect) - simple, and straightforward, but very necessary. Otherwise it's not clear what the Polybius square is...also, is device the right word? Or was it a system for creating and sending coded messages? This isn't a rhetorical question, but one meant to help you think about what a layperson might understand when they read these words. This may sound silly, but you should try explaining your topic to someone with no background (parents, a friend, etc.) and record yourself answering the questions they come up with! This will help you understand how to write clearly and more simply for a Wikipedia audience. Let me know how I can help going forward! Grade: 10/15 Gardneca (talk) 19:50, 24 March 2020 (UTC)

Instructor Comments on Draft/Peer Review 1

Of Noble Berth this is an excellent peer review. It's clear that you took the time to carefully read through this user's contributions and critiqued their work in a way that was both positive and encouraging, but also provided real steps to take. I'm glad you touched on suggestions for improving the overall content as well as the grammatical presentation. I'm also glad you enjoyed their article so much! Thanks for your hard work. Grade: 20/20 Gardneca (talk) 20:13, 2 March 2020 (UTC)

Thegodofchaos your peer reviewer gave you really good steps to take over the next week, so make sure to incorporate all of their suggestions, especially with regard to improving the clarity. This is a complicated topic and most Wikipedia users will have little to no understanding of cryptography. Keep expanding in all the areas your reviewer suggested, this should give you a lot to work on over the next week! Here's some additional sources I think might be of use: here and here

And because I didn't realize exactly how this cipher was used, I wasn't searching the right terms to help you find sources. Go to Google Scholar, and search 'Polybius Fire Signals' or 'Polybius Fire Signalling' and you'll find a lot more sources! Great work so far! Grad: 20/20 Gardneca (talk) 20:13, 2 March 2020 (UTC)

Peer Review

[I added the full article as find it will be easier to talk about it this way. All my additions are in italics in square brackets.]

Link to article:Polybius square

DRAFT

In cryptography, the Polybius square, also known as the Polybius checkerboard, is a device invented by the Ancient Greeks Cleoxenus and Democleitus, furthered (got rid of "and perfected") by the Ancient Greek historian and scholar Polybius, for fractionating plaintext characters so that they can be represented by a smaller set of symbols.

[I feel “furthered” doesn’t work here either, although it is definitely more neutral. I’m left wondering how it was furthered, by what means. I also think “In cryptography” should be removed from the beginning of the lead. It distracts from the subject of the Polybius square. I think the lead would be stronger if it started with “The Polybius square” The lead may also be clearer if it was broken into two sentences. So maybe “In cryptography” could go after “Polybius” and before “fractionating.” Also “is a device invented” should probably be “was a device invented.” I know you didn’t write the lead but some edits might improve it and the article.]

Basic form

Devised by Cleoxenus and Democleitus, and furthered by Polybius [,the device] partitioned the alphabet into five tablets with five letters each (except for the last one with only four), the Polybius square is a method of representing the alphabet using a small set of numbers.

[I find this section slightly confusing. How did Polybius further the device? Also do we happen to know why Cleixenus and Democletius devised the device? What was it’s initial purpose? What year was it devised and what year did Polybius modify it?]

The original square used the Greek alphabet:

	1	2	3	4	5
1	Α	Β	Γ	Δ	Ε
2	Ζ	Η	Θ	Ι	Κ
3	Λ	Μ	Ν	Ξ	Ο
4	Π	Ρ	Σ	Τ	Υ
5	Φ	Χ	Ψ	Ω

With the modern Latin alphabet, this is the typical form:

	1	2	3	4	5
1	A	B	C	D	E
2	F	G	H	I/J	K
3	L	M	N	O	P
4	Q	R	S	T	U
5	V	W	X	Y	Z

[Is the Greek alphabet square the one invented by Cleoxenus and Democleitus and the Latin alphabet square the one improved by Polybius?]

Each letter is then represented by its coordinates in the grid. For example, "BAT" becomes "12 11 44". Because 26 characters do not fit in a 5 × 5 square, two letters must be combined (usually I and J as above, though C and K is an alternative). (Polybius had no such problem because the Greek alphabet has 24 letters.) Alternatively, a 6 × 6 grid may be used instead. This would allow numerals to be included as well as letters.

A key could be used to reorder the alphabet in the square, with the letters (without duplicates) of the key being placed at the beginning with the rest of the alphabet following it. For example, the key phrase polybius cipher would lead to the reordered square below.

[This reminds me of the movie the Imitation Game. Is the Polybius square at all linked to the enigma code? Is it a type of precursor to the enigma code?]

	1	2	3	4	5
1	P	O	L	Y	B
2	I/J	U	S	C	H
3	E	R	A	D	F
4	G	K	M	N	Q
5	T	V	W	X	Z

A 6 × 6 grid may also be used for the Cyrillic alphabet (the most common variant has 33 letters, but some have up to 37).

The Polybius square has also been used with Japanese hiragana (see cryptography in Japan).

Applications

Telegraphy

Polybius in his Histories outlines the need for effective signalling in warfare, leading to the development of the square. Prior to the Polybius square, fire-signalling was useful for only expected messages, with no way to convey messages about unexpected events . Aeneas Tacticus devised a system consisting of matching vessels with sectioned rods labeled with different messages such as "Heavy Infantry", "Ships", and "Corn" . This system was slightly better than the basic fire-signalling, but still lacked the ability to convey any needed message. The Polybius square as he had devised it, was used to aid in telegraphy. To send a message, the sender would initially hold up two torches and wait for the recipient to do the same to signal that they were ready to receive the message . The sender would then hold up the first set of torches on his left side to indicate to the recipient which tablet (or row of the square) was to be consulted. The sender will then raise a set of torches on his right side to indicate which letter on the tablet was intended for the message . Both parties would need the same tablets, a telescope (a tube to narrow view, no real magnification), and torches .

[This is fascinating and explained well. I’m wondering what kind of distances they signaled over. Did they have a series of towers so vast difference could be covered or was it kept local to the battlefield? Do we know the first conflict this system of signalling was used?]

(Polybius did not originally conceive of his device as a cipher so much as an aid to telegraphy; he suggested the symbols could be signalled by holding up pairs of sets of torches.)[to be removed]

It has also been used, in the form of the "knock code" to signal messages between cells in prisons by tapping the numbers on pipes or walls. (added citation) It is said to have been used by nihilist prisoners of the Russian Czars and also by US prisoners of war during the Vietnam War.

Arthur Koestler describes the code being used by political prisoners of Stalin in the 1930s in his anti-totalitarian novel Darkness at Noon. (Koestler had been a prisoner-of-war during the Spanish Civil War.) Indeed, it can be signalled in many simple ways (flashing lamps, blasts of sound, drums, smoke signals) and is much easier to learn than more sophisticated codes like the Morse code. However, it is also somewhat less efficient than more complex codes.

Steganography

The simple representation also lends itself to steganography. The figures from one to five can be indicated by knots in a string, stitches on a quilt, contiguous letters before a wider space or many other ways.

Cryptography

The Polybius square is also used as a basic cipher called the Polybius Cipher. This cipher is quite insecure by modern standards, as it is a substitution cipher with characters being substituted for pairs of digits, which is easily broken through [by?] frequency analysis.

[Maybe an explanation as to what a substitution cipher is? And why it can be broken by frequency analysis? (this maybe getting off topic though) I’m also wondering if the ancients were able to crack the cipher easily? If not when did its use stop being relevant to cryptography?]

(The Polybius cipher can be used with a keyword like the Playfair cipher. By itself the Polybius square is not terribly secure, even if used with a mixed alphabet. The pairs of digits, taken together, just form a simple substitution in which the symbols happen to be pairs of digits. In this sense it is just another encoding which can be cracked with simple frequency analysis. However a Polybius square offers the possibility of fractionation, leading toward Claude E. Shannon's confusion and diffusion. As such, it is a useful component in several ciphers such as the ADFGVX cipher, the Nihilist cipher, and the bifid cipher.)[to be removed]

[I would be sad to see the removal of the link to Claude E. Shannon. If a citation could be linked to the claim, I think it would help the article's view count.]

Adaptations

The Polybius square and consequently the Polybius cipher can be combined with other cryptographic methods such as the ADFGVX cipher, Homophonic cipher , Playfair cipher, Blum Blum Shub, and conceivably much more.

[Overall I found the topic to be fascinating. I don’t know a lot about Cryptography and I certainly didn’t realize it date as far back as ancient Rome. Your reorganization of the article greatly improves upon digesting the material. Your work on the Telegraphy section is excellent as you use clear language in explaining the actions taken to signal the Polybius square across distances. Some areas to improve upon: The lead could use some minor edits to better focus the article. The dates of when people lived could be added. Such as for Polybius, Cleoxenus, and Democleitus. I feel more depth could be added to some of the sections so the reader may build a better understanding the topic. One final point, I mentioned earlier that the Polybius cipher reminded me of the enigma code. I feel you may be able to the viewership of the article if you could link it to the enigma code as it has made it’s way into pop culture through the movie the Imitation Game. However, I am completely ignorant of the topic and may be out to lunch. Fantastic work! Thank you for teaching me about a topic I had no clue even existed.]

Of Noble Berth (talk) 03:57, 2 March 2020 (UTC)]

See also

• Fryctoria
• Straddling checkerboard
• Tap code
• Topics in cryptography

External links

• Online modular converter offering Polybius square, Bifid cipher and tap code

Annotated Bibliography

Thegodofchaos I just love your topic. I know nothing about this so I am learning right along with you, and I think that it's fantastic that you've found something to work on that is so perfectly aligned with your interests. Your bibliography is great, and the one thing I can add is that there is an external link to the Polybius passage of reference on the original Wikipedia page (Histories, Books 44-45 http://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Roman/Texts/Polybius/10*.html#45.6). I think you'll find his description fascinating (and maybe slightly confusing?). Grade: 10/10 Gardneca (talk) 17:31, 21 February 2020 (UTC)

It looks like you'll have a lot to add about modern adaptations of the square, so here are a few more sources that might be of interest:

• Kondo, T. S., & Mselle, L. J. (2013). An Extended Version of the Polybius Cipher. International Journal of Computer Applications, 79(13).
• Maity, M. (2014). A Modified Version of Polybius Cipher Using Magic Square and Western Music Notes. International Journal For Technological Research In Engineering, ISSN, 2347-4718.
• Kumar, P., & Rana, S. B. (2015). Development of modified Polybius technique for data security. Int. J. Innov. Eng. Technol, 5, 227-229.
• Mel, H. X., & Baker, D. M. (2001). Cryptography decrypted. Addison-Wesley.
• Principe, L. M. (1992). Robert Boyle's Alchemical Secrecy: Codes, Ciphers and Concealments. Ambix, 39(2), 63-74.
• Sheldon, C. R. M. (2011). A Guide to Intelligence from Antiquity to Rome. Journal of US Intelligence Studies, 18(3).

Peer Review #2

Edits:

From paragraph 1:

"The devise is used for fractionating plaintext characters so that they can be represented by a smaller set of symbols, which is useful for telegraphy, steganography, and cryptography. The devise was originally used for fire signalling, as a way to send any message, not just predetermined options as was the convention before"

I think you mean "device" not "devise"

Under the header "Basic Form"

"devised by Cleoxenus and Democleitus, and furthered by Polybius"

I'm not familiar with the phrase "furthered by" I think saying "further developed by" would flow a little better.

Under the header "Applications"

"The Polybius square as he had devised it, was used to aid in telegraphy, specifically fire-signalling."

This sentence sounds a little clunky, I would reword it as "He created the Polybius square to aid in telegraphy, specifically, fire-signalling". Also, you use the word "devise" very frequently. I suggest replacing it with some synonyms like "created" or "made"

"Indeed, it can be signalled in many simple ways (flashing lamps, blasts of sound, drums, smoke signals) and is much easier to learn than more sophisticated codes like the Morse code. However, it is also somewhat less efficient than more complex codes."

I would remove this completely. It isn't relevant to the "applications" header that you have it under and it is somewhat subjective. Just saying "Arthur Koestler describes the code being used by political prisoners of Stalin in the 1930s in his anti-totalitarian novel Darkness at Noon." would be fine here

Reply to Peer Review 2

Thank you for your review JeremyML, I will make adjustments accordingly. --Thegodofchaos (talk) 14:51, 16 March 2020 (UTC)