Text Processing in Python

Appendix E. Glossary

Asymmetrical Encryption

Encryption using a pair of keys—the first encrypts a message that the second decrypts. In the most common protocol, the decryption key is kept secret but the encryption key may be widely revealed. For example, you might publish your encryption—or “public”—key, which lets anyone encrypt a message that only you can decrypt. The person who first creates the message, of course, has initial access to it, but any third-party without the decryption—or “private”—key cannot access the message. See Section 2.2.4 for a discussion of cryptographic capabilities.

Big-O Notation, Complexity

Big-O notation is a way of describing the governing asymptotic complexity of an algorithm. Often such complexity ...