Random Curves: Journeys of a Mathematician

by Neal Koblitz

Neal Koblitz is a co-inventor of one of the two most popular forms of encryption and digital signature, and his autobiographical memoirs are collected in this volume. Besides his own personal career in mathematics and cryptography, Koblitz details his travels to the Soviet Union, Latin America, Vietnam and elsewhere; political activism; and academic controversies relating to math education, the C. P. Snow "two-culture" problem, and mistreatment of women in academia. These engaging stories fully capture the experiences of a student and later a scientist caught up in the tumultuous events of his generation.

401 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2007

Reviews

[Thia Richey]

Koblitz is a great writer, and his life is incredibly interesting. He talks some about math and his contributions to cryptography, but it's mostly about his travels, the people he's met, and the movements he's been a part of, which I found refreshing. It also helped me reconcile my political ideals with my field of study, something I haven't always felt comfortable doing.

[Darrenglass]

Some people really dont need to write memoirs...

[Matteo]

i took some math classes from Prof. Koblitz at the University of Washington, and i suspect that he is politically minded. a book for another time...