A Genuine WWII Enigma Machine in your School!

'I think cryptography is an excellent way of getting young people interested in Maths, Science and History and seeing a genuine WW2 Enigma machine really brings the mathematics of code breaking to life.' Simon Singh, Author of Fermat's Last Theorem and The Code Book

Format

The Enigma Project is split into two parts (1) the presentation, (2) the workshop. At the start of the day all students involved will see the presentation together. Throughout the course of the day, each student will be involved in a codebreaking workshop in a smaller class-sized group.

view of the enigma machine presentation

(1) The presentation

An opening 50-60min interactive presentation introduces students to cryptography - the science and mathematics of codes and code breaking. Pupils meet various ciphers that have been used throughout history from Ancient Greece to modern day cryptography. Presentations involve audience participation and all students see a genuine WW2 Enigma machine in action, find out how it worked,and discover why it is one of the most infamous cipher machines of all time.

(2) The workshop

Students then get the chance to put their problem solving and logical reasoning skills to the test by taking part in a circus of hands-on code breaking activities. The code breaking workshops last for 50-60min with class-sized groups of pupils working in pairs to crack cryptic messages using a variety of traditional and modern methods from Caesar shift ciphers to ISBN numbers. The more codes they crack, the greater their chance of revealing the identity of 'The Enigmatic Character'!

view of the enigma machine

Audience

Suitable for pupils of all ages and abilities from KS2-KS5. It is primarily aimed at school students, but visits can be organised for any educational establishment. The Enigma Projec t is also suitable for Masterclasses, Summer Schools, Gifted and Talented workshops, Teachers' conferences and weekend and evening events - with organisation and activities adjusted as appropriate.

Venues

For the Initial Presentation: All students involved in the visit need to be seated comfortably in a hall, studio, auditorium or similar. Tables are not required.

For the Hands-on Code Breaking: A large classroom or similar is required. Pupils will work in pairs seated at desks/tables, but they will also need some room to roam.

Please note, if the presentation and hands-on activities are in the same venue, time must be allowed for re-arranging furniture and setting up activities. If different venues are used then activities can be set up in advance, but about 10-15 minutes will be required to dismantle the presentation equipment and set it up again for the workshop.

Equipment

For the initial presentation and workshops a screen or whiteboard is needed to project images onto, as well as a sturdy table for the laptop, data projector and Enigma machine.

For the workshop a line of desks are needed to put the codebreaking activities onto, preferably 3 long desks. The room will also need to have a projector screen or interactive whiteboard facilities.

Students will need paper to write on and a pencil.

Supervision

All sessions must be supervised by at least one member of staff. For younger participants, it is often beneficial to have two or more helpers (older students or staff) available to assist with the code breaking activities.

Teacher's Pack

At the end of the visit, you will receive a 'Teacher's Pack' which will contain the following information: