As part of the "Turing Cipher Challenge" competition initiated by the Ministry of Science and Technology, teenagers are invited to try to find encrypted facts about Alan Turing's work and life in the cipher of the first 500 million binary digits of Pi
For the first time in Israel, teenagers will face a mass cipher challenge in which they will try to reveal facts about the scientist Alan Turing in a cipher of 500 million binary digits. The challenge was initiated by the Ministry of Science and Technology on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the birth of the scientist Alan Turing, a date celebrated this year in Israel and around the world in a variety of events.
Alan Turing, was a genius mathematician who laid the foundations for the development of computers as we know them today, and was also the first to deal with the question "can machines think". His contribution to the field of computer science, mathematics and even philosophy is comparable to the contributions of Einstein and Darwin in their fields. Turing was also known for his special contribution to World War II thanks to his success in cracking the code of the German "Enigma" machine and bringing victory to the Allies. However, Turing did not receive the recognition for his contribution to science and World War II during his lifetime.
As part of the "Turing's Cipher Challenge" competition initiated by the Ministry of Science and Technology, teenagers are invited to try to find encrypted facts about Alan Turing's work and life in the cipher of the first 500 million binary digits of Pi. The competition will open today, June 24, exactly one day after the scientist's birthday, and will remain open for about two months to allow participants to expand the challenge and find the longest sentence hidden in the cipher.
The scientist's 100th birthday is celebrated around the world in a variety of events ranging from conferences, exhibitions, experimental films, renewed biographies and special articles. In Britain, the place of the scientist's birth and death, a petition is even being organized asking the British government to clear Turing of his conviction for having intimate relations with a man. Until now, academic conferences and lectures in memory of Turing have been held in Israel.
The Ministry of Science and Technology, in collaboration with Professors Nachum Dershowitz and Lior Wolff from Tel Aviv University, members of the action committee for Turing's centenary celebrations in Israel, decided to focus especially on the scientist's contribution to the Allies' victory over Germany in World War II in deciphering the cipher.
According to the Minister of Science and Technology, Prof. Daniel Hershkowitz, a respected mathematician who was also involved in the field of encryption, "Even today, the field of encryption is of great importance in cyber warfare. A cipher is a crucial element in the resilience of systems in cyberspace. Encouraging youth to engage in the field is also of great importance for the future of Israel."
The three participants who succeed in finding the longest sentence hidden in the cipher will win prizes such as a state-of-the-art tablet as well as a rare visit to "Weitzak", the first computer in Israel and the first in the world, built in 1954 at the Weizmann Institute. The winners will have the opportunity to present their idea or project to a forum of senior figures in the field of computer science, including the Minister of Science and Technology Prof. Daniel Hershkowitz, Prof. (Retd.) Yitzhak Ben-Israel, one of the founders of the Cyber Headquarters and the Chairman of the National R&D Council and Professor David Harel from the Weizmann Institute, winner of the Israel Prize in the field of computer science.
More information and entry to the competition Ministry of Science and Technology website:
