(NOT AN ELLIPSE!!!) Elliptic curve: y*y = x*x*x + A*x + B for some A and B. Seemingly simple enough (if you've gotten past high school algebra at least). However, if you make some special points, you can create a whole new number system. And there are so many of these (just change your values for A and B).
Elliptic curve cryptography are based on the idea that multiplying by, say, 329857349875 isn't *that* hard... but dividing by it is HELL. It's a reliable one-way function, which is pretty important for encryption! Another application is factorization, but I'm not too sure on that one so ask google ig
by mb6fbhsphdrcb April 23, 2025