<cryptography, mathematics> A function which is easy to compute but whose inverse is very difficult to compute. Such functions have important applications in cryptography, specifically in public-key cryptography.
See also: trapdoor function.
(2001-05-10)
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Nearby terms: ones complement « One-Time Password « One Time Programmable Read-Only Memory « one-way function » one-way hash function » on-line » On-Line Analytical Processing
