Editing Jefferson disk (section)

== Example of operation ==

To encrypt a message, the encrypter rotates the disks to produce the [[plaintext]] message along one "row" of the stack of disks, and then selects another row as the [[ciphertext]]. To decrypt the message, the decrypter rotates the disks on his cylinder to produce the ciphertext along a row. Decryption is easier if both the encrypter and the decrypter know the offset of the row, but not necessary since the decrypter can look around the cylinder to find a row that makes sense.

For example, a simplified "toy" Bazeries cylinder using only ten disks might be organized as shown below, with each disk "unwrapped" into a line and each marked with a designating number:

{| border="1" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="5"
| 1:
| {{mono|< ZWAXJGDLUBVIQHKYPNTCRMOSFE <}}
|-
| 2:
| {{mono|< KPBELNACZDTRXMJQOYHGVSFUWI <}}
|-
| 3:
| {{mono|< BDMAIZVRNSJUWFHTEQGYXPLOCK <}}
|-
| 4:
| {{mono|< RPLNDVHGFCUKTEBSXQYIZMJWAO <}}
|-
| 5:
| {{mono|< IHFRLABEUOTSGJVDKCPMNZQWXY <}}
|-
| 6:
| {{mono|< AMKGHIWPNYCJBFZDRUSLOQXVET <}}
|-
| 7:
| {{mono|< GWTHSPYBXIZULVKMRAFDCEONJQ <}}
|-
| 8:
| {{mono|< NOZUTWDCVRJLXKISEFAPMYGHBQ <}}
|-
| 9:
| {{mono|< XPLTDSRFHENYVUBMCQWAOIKZGJ <}}
|-
| 10:
| {{mono|< UDNAJFBOWTGVRSCZQKELMXYIHP <}}
|-
|}

If the "key", the sequence of disks, for this Bazeries cylinder is {{kbd|7, 9, 5, 10, 1, 6, 3, 8, 2, 4}}
and the encrypter wants to send the message "{{kbd|retreat now}}" to the decrypter, the encrypter rearranges the disks as per the key and rotates each disk to obtain the [[plaintext]], which is shown at the left, with spacing added for clarity:

{| border="1" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="5"
| 7:
| {{mono|< R AFDCE O NJQGWTHSPYBXIZULVKM <}}
|-
| 9:
| {{mono|< E NYVUB M CQWAOIKZGJXPLTDSRFH <}}
|-
| 5:
| {{mono|< T SGJVD K CPMNZQWXYIHFRLABEUO <}}
|-
| 10:
| {{mono|< R SCZQK E LMXYIHPUDNAJFBOWTGV <}}
|-
| 1:
| {{mono|< E ZWAXJ G DLUBVIQHKYPNTCRMOSF <}}
|-
| 6:
| {{mono|< A MKGHI W PNYCJBFZDRUSLOQXVET <}}
|-
| 3:
| {{mono|< T EQGYX P LOCKBDMAIZVRNSJUWFH <}}
|-
| 8:
| {{mono|< N OZUTW D CVRJLXKISEFAPMYGHBQ <}}
|-
| 2:
| {{mono|< O YHGVS F UWIKPBELNACZDTRXMJQ <}}
|-
| 4:
| {{mono|< W AORPL N DVHGFCUKTEBSXQYIZMJ <}}
|-
|}

The encrypter then selects the ciphertext from the sixth row of the cylinder up from the plaintext. This ciphertext is also highlighted above with spacing, and gives: {{samp|OMKEGWPDFN}}. When the decrypter gets the ciphertext, they rearrange the disks on their cylinder to the key arrangement, rotate the disks to give the ciphertext, and then read the plaintext six rows down from the ciphertext, or look over the cylinder for a row that makes sense.