Appendix C. Variables list
In this appendix, I’ll list all the variables used in the book in order of appearance. Many of the variables in this book have the same meaning in every chapter. An example is the use of capital letters to signify points on an elliptic curve. Some variables have different meanings in each chapter because they come from different references. The major example is \(a_j\), which is a generic coefficient in some places and a very specific representation of a formula in others. The following list of variables is by chapter and in order of appearance within the chapter.
Chapter 2
| \(a\) | arbitrary integer |
| \(p\) | prime modulus modulus |
| \(x\) | square root of \(a\) |
| \(e\) | number of zero bits in \(p-1\) |
| \(q\) | odd value in \((p-1)/ 2^e\) |
| \(y, r, b, t\) | square root algorithm variables |
Chapter 3
| \(x, y\) | coordinates of 2D point |
| \(P,Q,R\) | points on an elliptic curve |
| \(a_4, a_6\) | ordinary curve coefficients |
| 0 | point at infinity |
| \(\lambda\) | slope of line between two points on elliptic curve |
| \(k\) | integer multiplier of points |
| \(f(x)\) | right-hand side of elliptic curve equation |
Chapter 4
| \(E\) | specific elliptic curve |
| \(G\) | generation point with prime order |
| \(A,B,S,P,U\) | multiples of \(G\) |
| \(\#E\) | cardinality of curve \(E\) |
| avf\((x)\) | associate value function |
| \(s_A\) | implicit signature |
| \(z\) | shared secret |