Painting with Numbers - Safety in Numbers

with Marcus du Sautoy

In this programme, mathematician Marcus du Sautoy reveals how the language of maths is used to construct the complex codes that we encounter in everyday life. He meets Professor Keith Ball to discuss how these codes work, and how they help us with daily activities such as ordering books online and receiving pictures from satellites deep in space. Marcus explains how mathematical technique can keep our personal information secure when we use the internet and reveals what would happen to this security should quantum computers become a reality. Through his demonstrations, Marcus hopes to convince us that the information age is built on mathematical foundations.