Homework on Consensus - Questions

Blockchain and Bitcoin 101
#2051

1. What does it mean when we say that in blockchain, consensus determine the truth?
means the the community (or better the algorithm) agrees on what is “truth” and what not and not one single entity. Truth is at the end subjective and therefore the consensus in blockchain gives as much as possible objectivity and what is true and what not.
2. How is this different from how truth is determined in a central database?
it is defined by the community and not by one central institution. In central databases simply human errors can occur and everyone believes the information is true, but its not.

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#2052
  1. Consensus simply put is that all the computers in the network are in 100% agreement. Everysingle node needs to agree on the validity of the transaction.
  2. I think that it comes back to the fact that there is a central authority in control and they can make adjustments to the records
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#2053

Consensus is the event when the participants or computers on the network decide when an event is true or not, the incentive to tell the truth, also removing trust, and gain more value by being honest.

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#2054

Blockchain is a network where transactions are verified and then included in the blockchain when they are verified by consensus or multiple sites. In this way, transactions are checked, verified and recorded on the blockchain.

A central database can be operated by a single entrant. So there is not verification necessarily at multiple sites, therefore no consensus.

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#2055

Homework on Consensus - Questions

  1. What does it mean when we say that in blockchain, consensus determine the truth?
    It means that it isn’t enough that one individual claims something regarding the state of the blockchain. If a claim from one participant doesn’t match the ledger that the rest of the participants keep - then you don’t reach consensus. When you reach consensus then it becomes the truth on the blockchain. And information on the blockchain is permanent - it’s “set in stone” so to speak.

  2. How is this different from how truth is determined in a central database?
    In a central database it’s up the the owner or administrator to manage the content on the database. You can’t really claim that the content on a centralized database is the truth (just by the fact that it’s on the database), since it’s so easy to falsify by one individual. On a centralised database you need to trust the content blindly, or verify it from sources outside the database.

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#2056
  1. Consensus determine the truth by collective verification of a certain transaction.
  2. The truth, in a blockchain perspective, is determined by using mathematical equations - no authority can intervene and dictate what truth should be.
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#2057

  1. When a transaction is put in to the blockchain, it is verified by a series of nodes into the network.

  2. To create a truly trustless system, consensus is incentivised to play by the rules and to remove the trust.

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#2058

  1. What does it mean when we say that in blockchain, consensus determine the truth?
    In blockchain, consensus determines the truth means that the nodes on the network collectively decide whether a transaction is valid (the truth) or not.

  2. How is this different from how truth is determined in a central database?
    With blockchain the data is verified by the network (multiple different entities), in a central database truth is determined by one single entity who has writing access (without verification of others).

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#2059

1- it is mean that you do not have to trust someone to confirm what you are saying we have network of computer we can trace what real happen
2- the different in other network we have trust on the word of someone we do not know if he is lying or saying the truth but on blockchain we have computer to confirm the transaction

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#2060

Hi @IZaidS! Good answer! Welcome to the forum :smiley:

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#2061

Homework on Consensus - Questions

  1. What does it mean when we say that in blockchain, consensus determines the truth?

Answer: agreement about the truth so we all make money, trustless system of records

  1. How is this different from how truth is determined in a central database?

Answer: Based on trust, not trustless. We have to trust the input, accountant, and system of records.

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#2062

  1. What does it mean when we say that in blockchain, consensus determines the truth?
    Consensus is a mechanism that “distributes trust” by allowing every network participant to view & verify a transaction. It makes it difficult for any participant to act in bad faith through a process of incentivizing all participants to “agree” on the final outcome (truth) of a transaction. “Trust” is thus achieved by consensus where the entire network “agrees” on the truth.

  2. How is this different from how truth is determined in a central database?
    In a central database, each participant has control of separate elements of data. Auditing, verification, and establishing the provenance/truth of a transaction requires trusted 3rd parties.

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#2063

  1. Consensus is achieved when the majority of people in a population come to an agreement on a certain outcome or event. This agreement is achieved through provenance, being able to track and trace the origin of payments or supplies in a manufacturing process. If the transactions and supplies are true, and the general population agrees that their origins are true (found through verification), then we can conclude that the consensus of the group ultimatel determined the truth.

  2. In a central database, there is no incentive to tell the truth. So malicious parties with access to the central database could alter its content for their own gain. Hence it is quite difficult to know the truth, and we have to trust that entities in control of the database are telling the truth. This would usually be determined by observing the parties’ past actions and behaviours.

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#2064

The consensus in blockchain is truth because the network has to agree before a transaction is put in the blockchain. In a centralized system, there is no consensus because the central authority alone decides what is put in the database. The central authority determines the truth according to its preference.

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#2065

1- In blockchain, universal consensus means true transparency is applied through all processes and no shortcuts as in forms fraudulent transactions or tamper in security and privacy. The truth attained comes with rewards as in incentives for honesty.Consensus gives rise to decentralized structure.
2-For Central database, there is a certain opaqueness involved. There is no full sightedness on transparency. central database may have their own rules and set functions which limits certain functionalities. If a central database has to be updated, it would be time consuming as compared to blockchain consensus where databases can be updated as faster as 10 mins or so depending on latency, geography etc.

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#2066
  1. Consensus determines the truth by asking the whole network ,if a transaction is real or false.
    2.in a central database you cannot verify if the information is actual true, you have to rely on trust.
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#2067
  1. What does it mean when we say that in blockchain, consensus determine the truth?

That all participants in the network have access to all the same data and can verify the truth. This means that you don’t need to trust a third party to provide you the information from the network, by having open access to the data it creates consensus when everyone can take part and control it. Bitcoin does this by providing identical ledgers in each new block and thereby creates consensus throughout the blockchain.

  1. How is this different from how truth is determined in a central database?

In a centralized database you need to trust that the owner of the database tells you the truth. You are therefore completely dependent on a third-party.

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#2068

  1. It means nodes in realtime verify the fact that broadcasted transaction make sens and is possible move it to block for confirmation, where is soon or later confirmed as true.

  2. Quait a lot… In blockchain whole network need to agree on. But in central DB admin\s decides what may truth be.

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#2069
  1. It means that blockchain and consensus are incentivized not to game the system and agree on the what is a legitimate transaction and and what is not…the community must agree on this as a whole…
  2. Truth in a central database is determine by a centralized authority ion control of the database, so they are incentivized to manage the database for their own interests…no consensus determines the truth as no accountability,.,
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#2070

  1. Consensus determines the truth by providing a mechanism that validates the truth, where multiple participants are able to agree on what the truth is. If all participants agree or in consensus, then this derives the truth that is trusted.

  2. A central database does not provide a mechanism in which, multiple participants must agree before the data is stored.

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