Modular Exponentiation: How "Square and Multiply" Powers Modern Cryptography
Welcome back to izytech.dev ! In the previous article , we found out how to simulate division in modular arithmetic using the Multiplicative Inverse and the ancient Euclidean Algorithm. Now that we know how to add, multiply, and "divide" numbers safely, we're facing the biggest obstacle of all: powers . In modern cryptography, encrypting and decrypting a message means taking a number (the message) and raising it to a massive power (the key) inside a modular world. But how do computers handle numbers that huge without crashing? The Problem With Giant Numbers When we're working with small numbers, exponentiation is easy. Calculating 3 to the 5th power (3 5 ) in a "modulo 143" world can even be done by hand or with a basic calculator, just by reducing the final result. But what happens if we need to calculate 12,345 raised to the 6,789th power , still modulo 143? We're talking about a number with tens of thousands of digits! Regu...