Alan M. Turing: The Applications of Probability to Cryptography

TL;DR

Alan Turing's paper explores the application of probability theory to cryptography during World War II, providing insights into statistical methods used for code-breaking and cryptanalysis.

Contribution

This work presents Turing's original probabilistic approaches to cryptography, illustrating how statistical reasoning was applied to decipher encrypted messages during wartime.

Findings

Probabilistic methods improved cryptanalysis efficiency

Insights into wartime cryptographic techniques

Historical significance of statistical approaches in cryptography

Abstract

This is a typeset version of Alan Turing's Second World War research paper \textit{The Applications of Probability to Cryptography}. A companion paper \textit{Paper on Statistics of Repetitions} is also available in typeset form from arXiv at arXiv:1505.04715. The original papers give a text along with figures and tables. They provide a fascinating insight into the preparation of the manuscripts, as well as the style of writing at a time when typographical errors were corrected by hand, and mathematical expression handwritten into spaces left in the text. Working with the papers in their original format provides some challenges, so they have been typeset for easier reading and access.