Question

Number Theory (Network Security)

2.8 What is the diffrerence between an index and a discrete logarithm?

Answer 1

Discrete logarithms are logarithms defined with regard to multiplicative cyclic groups. If G is a multiplicative cyclic group and g is a generator of G, then from the definition of cyclic groups, we know every element h in G can be written as g^x for some x.

The term "discrete logarithm" is most commonly used in cryptography, although the term "generalized multiplicative order" is sometimes used as well. In number theory, the term "index" is generally used instead.