1. Describe the concept of public and private key with your own words.
- The private key is random number generated by a computer, the chances of any computer generating the same number ever again are very small.
- The public key is then generated with a formula from the private key.
- The private key is used to sign transactions on the BTC network in order to proof the transaction came from the owner of the private key from a certain public key.
2. What 2 use-cases can public key cryptography be used for?
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Encryption : ( example ) Person A sends encrypted message to person B’s public key, therefore only person B’s private key can decrypt the message. So only person B for whom the message was intended should be able to read it.
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Digital signatures : ( example ) Person A sends transaction to person B, person A signs the transaction with the private key. Result : person B can verify the transaction was signed with the private key of the owner of person A’s public key.