Stuffed, But Hungry For More?
Even though it took people a long time to understand how the genetic code worked, people have been using codes for thousands of years. All languages are codes.
Test your ability to decode. What do you think the following says?
- Explain how a "decoder" or a dictionary for Spanish, German, Russian or Hindi help you in understanding what the speaker is trying to say?
- Where might you find the information to "decode" this message?
Some people make codes so they can send information without other people knowing what they are saying. In war time, some armies use codes.
- Explain why you think this would be helpful in war time?
If this does not come out in the discussion explain that people are oten employed to decipher the code. For example, during World War II, the American army used Navajo Indian radio operators to transmit information in the Navajo language.1 Other armies tried to "break" the code but were never able to figure it out.
- Explain why you think that even today Word Monkey in iGoogle does not allow translations of this language?
1 Margaret T. Bixler Winds of Freedom: The Story of the Navajo Code Talkers of World War II, Darien Conn., Two Bytes Publishing Co., 1992.
Next: SET Concepts Addressed
