Before Recitation
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.
Question for Recitation: Before you come to this recitation, you'll turn in a brief answer to the following questions (really—we don't need more than a sentence or so for each question). Your TA will be in touch about exactly how to turn that in.
Your answers to these questions should be in your own words, not direct quotations from the paper.
- 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?
During Recitation
We expect you to be engaged and participate in recitation, and there are many ways to do that! Check out our participation FAQ for more information.