Assignment 1

Introduction:
-I am a third year Cognitive Science student with a math minor.
-I have taken linear algebra, both lower and upper division, lower division differential equations and the history of mathematics.
-I'm taking this class, not only because I am a math minor, but because I've been interested in cryptography since the beginning of high school after reading "The Code Book" by Simon Sighn. I've read the book twice and this class was one of the motivating factors for actually becoming a math minor.
-I do not have any eperience with Maple, Mathematica, Matlab or Sage aside from listenning to my flatmates complain about their various engineering assignments. I have, however, taken two PIC classes in C++ and an introduction to internet programming class involving HMTL/php. I feel that I should be able to pick up one of the aforementioned programs fairly quickly to pick up the programming for the assignments.
-My worst ever math teacher was a teacher in high school for math analysis (precalculus) who maintained a terrible lack of enthusiasm for teaching and required neatness in printed notes more than understanding of material. My best math teacher was Mr. Matlack, my calculus teacher for my junior year of high school; he managed to demonstrate any concept beginning from the most fundamental aspects.
-I have duel citizenship with the United Kingdom and am an avid tennis player and swimmer.