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Polybius Square

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Open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Tuesday to Sunday
Address
1867 St Laurent Blvd, Ottawa, ON
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Browse all Visitor Information for Canada Science and Technology Museum
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Polybius Square

A Polybius square
Download activity PDF

Use technology that’s over 2,000 years old to send a message that even a spy will have trouble reading! In this activity, transform your message into a code which can only be decoded by someone else with the same Polybius square grid.

What you need

  • A friend
  • Two copies of the Polybius square template
  • Paper
  • Pencil

Scroll to the right to view more of the table.

  1 2 3 4 5 6
1            
2            
3            
4            
5            
6            

Make it

  1. Print or draw two copies of the Polybius square template for you and a friend.
  2. Write out the letters A-Z and the numbers 0-9 randomly within the square. Make sure to only put one letter or number in each cell.
  3. Write down your message on your piece of paper. Don’t say it out loud! 
  4. To encrypt your message, find the first letter of your message on the square (example: N).

    Scroll to the right to view more of the table.

      1 2 3 4 5 6
    1 D W E R Z I
    2 N M F Y G S
    3 5 4 0 Q 1 H
    4 X L 6 U A T
    5 O C V K B 9
    6 P 7 2 J 3 8
  5. On a separate piece of paper, write the number at the beginning of the row that your letter is in (example: for N, the first number is 2).
  6. Write the number that is at the top of the column that your letter is in (example: for N, the first number is 1).
  7. Each letter is represented by two numbers: the first is the number found in step 4 and the second is the one found in step 5 (example: N would be 21).
  8. Leave a space, then proceed to the next letter in the word.  Leave two spaces at the end of each word.

Test it

Swap your piece of paper with the encrypted message on it with your friend’s paper and decrypt their message using the Polybius square.

Explain it

You can keep messages secret by coming up with a code where you replace words or groups of words with groups of letters or numbers, like the Polybius square does. You can also rearrange letters or use substitutes to disguise the message, which is called a cipher. So, you are using a cipher if you come up with code names for people and places that only you and your friend know about. Creating a code or cipher is called encryption.

Observe it

Alan Turing was a mathematician who was a huge contributor towards allied victory during the Second World War. The German armed forces used a machine called the Enigma to send coded messages. Turing and another code breaker eventually invented the Bombe, a device used by code breakers to read coded messages from the enemy.

Go further

You can even further encrypt your message, in case your Polybius square is intercepted. Try adding a rule, like writing down the two-digit code for the letter directly under the letter you mean to write. If you’re at the bottom row, it would be the code for the very top row in the same column. Make up your own rules and see if your friend can still decode your message!

Materials for Polybius square
Polybius square step 2
Polybius square testing

Program Details

SCITECH
Canada Science and Technology Museum
Duration
10 minutes
Difficulty Level:
Easy
Program Location
Online
  • View all programs at the Canada Science and Technology Museum
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About Canada Science and Technology Museum

Canada Science and Technology Museum
The Canada Science and Technology Museum tells Canada's innovation story in an immersive, educational, and fun way.
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Contact Us

Canada Science and Technology Museum
1867 St Laurent Blvd
Ottawa ON K1G 5A3
Canada

613-991-3044
1-866-442-4416
contact@IngeniumCanada.org
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  • Plan Your Visit
    • Health and Safety
    • Hours
    • Admission
    • Location and Directions
    • Accessibility
    • Browse All Visitor Information
    • Buy Tickets
    • Online Resources for Science at Home
    • About the Museum
  • What's On at the Museum
    • Events
    • Exhibitions
    • Spaces and Studios
  • Bookings and Rentals
    • School Programs
    • Birthday Parties
    • Summer Camps
    • Venue Rentals
    • Travelling Exhibitions
    • Virtual Field Trips
    • Group Visits
  • Educational Programs
    • School Programs
    • Virtual Field Trips
    • Program Location
      • At the Museum
      • At Your School
      • Online
      • Browse all Educational Programs
    • Popular Links
      • 3D Educational Resources
      • Digital Learning Kits
      • Games and Apps
      • Online Resources for Science at Home
      • Tell Me About
      • Try This Out
  • Collection and Research
    • Research Institute
    • Research Projects
    • Collection Resources
      • Ingenium Collection
      • Collection Highlights
      • Conservation and Collection Services
    • Library and Archives
      • Library and Archives Services
      • Library Catalogue
      • Digital Archives
    • Open Access
      • Ingenium APIs
      • Open Data
      • Open Documents
  • Projects and Initiatives
    • Ingenium Channel
    • Curiosity on Stage
    • Women in STEM
    • Innovation Storybook
    • Species at Risk in Canada
    • Climate Science