The writer and professor of Mathematics Constantino Ávila Pardo gives us an interview. He teaches Mathematics at the secondary school in his hometown and is a self-confessed lover of nature., of slow life in rural areas and hiking. He is also the author of the book Another way to Santiago: from Ayora to Compostela in a straight line. His work, The legacy of the Tsars, aims to be a valuable instrument at the service of education. GINÉS J. VERA.
As we read in the Presentation of Mathematical adventures. Hidden messages on the Camino de Santiago (Brief Editorial), This book is part of a trilogy. In it, it maintains the same protagonists to narrate three very different adventures., but with common points. Tell us about those two previous books.. About what unites them and what regulars will find in this Hidden messages on the Camino de Santiago.
The trilogy begins with The legacy of the Tsars, a book of short stories, with “Count Lucanor” style messages, that aims to lead children and adolescents to reflections full of meaning and educational value. Continue with Mathematical adventures: In search of the secret code, whose purpose is to present Mathematics as something fun so that this discipline, that so much frustration and rejection produces, becomes the main training of our intellectual potential, giving students the magic of being able to think, seducing their curiosity and challenging their minds. The three books are connected by their educational scope, for the values they transmit and for the characters who appear in their pages.
In Mathematical adventures. Hidden messages on the Camino de Santiago, We not only accompany the protagonists along the Camino de Santiago, There are also secrets and mysteries inside and outside of this journey.. One of the outsiders is, For example, the Sator formula. Or the custom of hanging socks in the fireplace on Christmas Eve, among others. Tell us about that most mysterious part of these Mathematical adventures.
The transmission of knowledge requires some mystery, because the mysterious, seduce. Hence, as a teacher and author of this book, has resorted to coded phrases, in order to attract the attention of readers. But the true and great mystery that lies within its pages, It is the endless human current that has headed to Compostela since the 9th century, attracted by a legend propagated by the bishop of Ira Flavia., which over time became “psychologically true”.
Iago's grandson will soon turn 15 years, having finished third year of secondary school when he embarks with him on this trip. Tell us about who these are aimed at. Mathematical adventures. Personally, I have many more than Nico and I have found it very stimulating. And not only because of the mathematical issues... What would be of our bank savings without good encryption?
When I started writing this book, I did so thinking about young people between twelve and ninety years old.. The other people, those of aged spirit, they don't even read. It is enough for them to remain in front of the television enthralled by superficial topics of reality show. Savings can be worrying, but I wonder: What would become of our privacy if we do not learn to protect our data on mobile phones and computers?… Well, we would be in the hands of unauthorized spies.: malware, spyware, malicious apps, routine government searches, hackers… and other malicious snoops that are yet to come.
Anagrams, translations, mirror writing… they meet with proper names like Galileo, Kepler, Julius Caesar, The Templars and their goose that laid the golden eggs, Newton o Bacon. Let us know the appearance of these, linked to cryptography or secret languages as an added interest for the most curious readers who are fans of History.
The need to keep information safe from prying eyes is not new. The history of cryptography dates back thousands of years. The Spartan scythe or the Polybios cipher were used several centuries before Jesus Christ. At first, encryption methods used pencil and paper or very simple mechanics., but the invention of machines, and the subsequent introduction of electronics and computing, have allowed the creation of very complex encryption systems, like asymmetric cryptography, quantum cryptography or the Skipjack method recently developed by the National Security Agency at the request of the United States government. But as high security systems appear, more capable hackers emerge. Only the Voynich Manuscript, written by an anonymous author at the beginning of the 15th century, resists being deciphered.
