105Course · Foundation
Cryptography Foundations
The mathematics behind every claim.
Every claim a blockchain makes — that this coin is yours, that this block extends that one, that this signature is valid — rests on a small set of cryptographic primitives.
The course establishes them with enough rigor that later modules on ZK, MPC, and FHE are additions rather than initiations.
- 01
Explain symmetric vs. asymmetric encryption.
- 02
Read an RSA and an ECDSA signature.
- 03
Distinguish a hash from a MAC from a signature.
Prerequisites
- — Comfort with basic algebra.
Pacing
~4 hours.
- IModule
Symmetric and asymmetric
The two paradigms.
- IIModule
Signatures
The property that makes ownership possible.
A Note from the Faculty
Cryptography is where blockchain earns the right to be called computer science.