Our last paper! Read Bitcoin: A Peer-to-Peer Electronic Cash System. This is the original Bitcoin paper. You may also find this blogpost helpful in understanding the protocol, though it is not required reading.

There is no response to submit for this week's reading. But as you read you should think about:

  • What problem does Bitcoin's proof-of-work solve in the system?
  • How does the proof-of-work work? What does a miner have to do to solve it?
  • Would you ever use Bitcoin (or have you ever)? Why or why not?
As always, there are multiple correct answers for each of these questions.