While we’re talking about asymmetric encryption, can someone explain to me why you can’t decrypt information with the same public key that encrypted it? I understand the analogies (locks on a briefcase, unmixing paint, etc), but I can’t “un-analogize” them to understand what’s actually going on. Encryption keys aren’t physical locks or paint. They’re numbers(?). So why can I encrypt something by multiplying by a known public encryption key, but I can’t decrypt it by dividing by that same known public key?
While we’re talking about asymmetric encryption, can someone explain to me why you can’t decrypt information with the same public key that encrypted it? I understand the analogies (locks on a briefcase, unmixing paint, etc), but I can’t “un-analogize” them to understand what’s actually going on. Encryption keys aren’t physical locks or paint. They’re numbers(?). So why can I encrypt something by multiplying by a known public encryption key, but I can’t decrypt it by dividing by that same known public key?