How Does Mathematical Calculation Affect Mining of Bitcoins?

The most common way to obtain bitcoins is by mining them. Bitcoin is a virtual/imaginary currency. These currencies cannot be availed in a physical form. Bitcoin is universal and has no acceptance issues. It can be used in all countries. The best thing about transactions involving cryptocurrencies is that they have no regulatory bodies. This provides the user with financial liberty. The cost of transactions is also minimal due to the absence of third parties.

Though it is universal, many goods and service providers still do not accept bitcoin as a currency. But soon, this will change. Bitcoin is the future of currencies. This futuristic technology will take the world by storm shortly. Because of its newness, bitcoin is a very volatile currency. Its prices keep fluctuating dramatically. You must be wondering, how this futuristic currency is created? In such cases, bitcoin mining shows up in the picture. Mining involves solving complex puzzles for the creating of new bitcoins. These puzzles are mainly mathematical. The systems that crack these puzzles are called Bitcoin miners.

When these bitcoin miners successfully decipher these mathematical puzzles, they are rewarded with a bitcoin. This mining process plays an essential role in providing security to the transactions. In the beginning, bitcoins were mined on ordinary.

PCs using ordinary central processing units. This process consumed a lot of time. Today, cryptocurrencies are mined using mining pools. Mining pools are distributed over various geographical terrains. Bitcoin miners accumulate mining systems that use massive electrical energy to mine bitcoins. Bitcoin mining requires gigantic amounts of energy. If this process is conducted using a source of non-renewable energy, it could prove detrimental, making it environmentally unfriendly. The bitcoin miners are known to perform this process in areas with renewable energy sources present. Many experts are predicting the price of Bitcoin but are Bitcoin price predictions reliable?

Mathematics is a wonderful subject that can do wonders when incorporated with technology. The process of bitcoin mining is extremely tedious. It involves the use of computational mathematics. To mine bitcoins, miners have to solve some very complex mathematical problems. These are bifurcated into three types:

• Hashing: This is the first step involved in bitcoin mining. This process is known as hashing function. It involves taking an input of indefinite length and giving a definite length as the output. The hashing output remains the same till the lasting of input. Even some minor changes in the input can alter the output drastically. Hence, it is impossible to identify the input, based merely on the output. Solving a hash is like solving a complex math puzzle. A hash function is necessary for the security of data.
• The Byzantine problem: The byzantine problem depicts decentralized systems’ difficulty in reaching a consensus. This is one of the most common problems that bitcoin users face as there remains no third-party Moreover, there remains no regulating entity, and due to this, the traders find it challenging to reach a certain level of consensus. Bitcoins use blockchains to compact the byzantine problems. These problems are even more complex than hashing problems. To proceed, 51 percent of miners should approve the solution provided by a bitcoin miner.
• Double-spending: This problem occurs when the same currency is transacted twice. Being decentralized in nature, Bitcoin has no central authority to supervise repetitive transactions. It is not difficult for tech-savvy hackers to replicate transactions. With the highly-functional blockchain technology, such problems can easily be solved. The verification system of blockchains can identify the time stamps concerning repetitive transactions and eliminate any malpractice.

Final Words

We’re sure you have understood the complex mathematical aspects of bitcoin mining. Bitcoin miners have serious jobs of solving these tedious puzzles to provide bitcoins to users. Miners play a vital role in keeping the system as secure as possible. They are truly underrated. Bitcoin mining is not child’s play.