Zero-Knowledge Proofs
Suppose you wish to convince someone
you have a special secret
without revealing any information.
For example, you want me to know that you can factor
a hundred-digit integer
without telling me the prime factors.
Or you want to persuade me you’ve proved
an important theorem
without revealing it.
A zero-knowledge proof can convince me
you have vital, verifiable
information—without exposing it.
A zero-knowledge proof involves calculation
of residues modulo n—
and its complications
are beyond the scope of this poem.
Editor's Note: Don't miss "Why Poets Sometimes Think in Numbers," Carol Dorf's introduction to math poetry in TW.
Art Information
- “Locked” © Lois Shelden; used by permission
During her first career as a mathematics professor, JoAnne Growney brought poetry into her classroom—and now she gives her time to writing it. Recent collections include Red Has No Reason (Plain View Press, 2010) and My Dance Is Mathematics (Paper Kite Press, 2006). She is co-editor of the anthology Strange Attractors: Poems of Love and Mathematics (A K Peters, 2008).
Growney’s activities include translations of Romanian poets and collaborative projects with visual artists, poets, and mathematicians. In Silver Spring, Maryland, she teaches an ongoing poetry workshop for mental health clients. She maintains a blog, Intersections—Poetry with Mathematics, and is continually seeking or constructing new poems.
