Homework on Stale Blocks

[Glegy]

1. The network will simply choose and accept the longest block and the other will be dropped, terminology of this block is stale or orphaned.

2. An unsuccessful version of the block.

3. When the network chooses and accepts a longer version of the block.

4. To ensure that your version of the block does not become, stale or orphaned.

[Pat]

1. both blocks get added an make two separate chains. Eventually one chain will dominate as by chance a block will be added to one or the other making that chain the longest one. This chain will be accepted as the true chain

2. A stale block is a block that gets dropped as it was part of a chain that was not the longest chain. the transactions in that chain will get sent back to the mempool

3. stale blocks are the result of 2 different chains being made as a symptom of miners having solved a block at the same time and so creating 2 different but valid chains.

4. because if only one block confirmation was required it could be part of a redundant chain and the block could get dropped. with 6 confirmations ( 6 preceding blocks) it is with confidence that the block is part of the longest chain.

[asteriskWorldChamp]

1. What happens when a 2 miners solve a block at the same time is that there is a branch in the block chain. A new block will get added eventually, and the first block to get added to whichever branch will become the “truth” in the network. All nodes and miners will get this “truth” block and continue on. The Block that does not get added, from the branch, becomes a stale block. All transactions in the stale block go back into the mempool.

2. A stale block is a block that was discontinued because of a branch in the blockchain. A stale block will be dropped IF a new block is not added to it first.

3. Stale blocks occur when their chain is not verified, by other added blocks, in the network first.

Edit: didnt see #4 sorry.

4. It is important to wait 6 blocks to ensure that your transaction is confirmed in the network. This is due to stale blocks, as mentioned in the responses above, and the chance that your transaction may be dropped.

[Tbolts]

1. What happens in the bitcoin network when two miners solve a block at the same time? Chain splits and the longest chain will win
2. What is a stale block? The block with the shortest chain after a simultaneous creation block (the block not accepted by the network)
3. How do stale blocks occur? Simultaneous solving on block by two different miners at the same time
4. Why is it important to wait for more than one block to be confirmed when sending or receiving a transaction – to mitigate the risk of the block being a stale block and invalidating the transaction on the network

[mathiasstudart]

1. The chain will have two valid ends.

2. The block the eventually will be in the shortest chain and will be dropped to the mempool.

3. When two blocks are mined at the same time, one of those will be dropped for being in the shortest chain.

4. In case of stale block happen.

[Xavier89]

1. What happens in the bitcoin network when two miners solve a block at the same time?
   The longest chain will win when two miners are trying to solve a block at the same time. The other block will get Orphaned (stale) en all transactions from that block go again in the mempool.

2. What is a stale block?
   Orphaned, if the block is dropped because another block that was made at the same time that is part of a longer chain

3. How do stale blocks occur?
   When 2 miners mine a valid block at the same time

4. Why is it important to wait for more than one block to be confirmed when sending or receiving a transaction?
   Then you know for sure that the transaction is good, how more confirmations a transaction has, The more you can say the block is legit (because otherwise you have the possibility that it become’s orphaned (stale).

[Catalin]

“What happens in the bitcoin network when two miners solve a block at the same time?”
One of those blocks will become a orphan block that is dropped from the block chain back to mempool,

“What is a stale block?”
It is a block that was dropped there is another version of the block that is longer without this one in it.

“How do stale blocks occur?”
Stale blocks occur when 2 blocks are mined at the exact same time.

“Why is it important to wait for more than one block to be confirmed when sending or receiving a transaction?”
Because your tx can be in a block that isn’t accepted(in a orphaned/slate block)

[Jay9000]

1. What happens in the bitcoin network when two miners solve a block at the same time?
   There will be two valid competing blockchains that are being propagated throughout the network. But only one can survive so the longer one will win out and become the single truth and the other one will become a stale block and the transactions within that block will return to the mempool.

2. What is a stale block?
   A block that was once part of the blockchain but ends up being dropped because there was a competing blockchain that ended up being longer.

3. How do stale blocks occur?
   When two miners solve a block at the same time and one of the blocks will eventually lose out and become a stale block.

4. Why is it important to wait for more than one block to be confirmed when sending or receiving a transaction?
   Just in case the block containing your transaction becomes a stale block and thus dropped from the blockchain and invalidating your transaction. It is recommended to wait for 6 block confirmations with bitcoin transactions.

[Santanet]

1. What happens in the bitcoin network when two miners solve a block at the same time?
   Then both blocks are valid until one of them is dropped.
2. What is a stale block?
   A stale block is a dropped block.
3. How do stale blocks occur?
   When several blocks are solved at the same time, only one of them will remain on the blokchain: the one is used to solve the next block. Other blocks will be invalidated (stale blocks).
4. Why is it important to wait for more than one block to be confirmed when sending or receiving a transaction?
   To ensure the block with my transaction won’t be dropped.

[FrinaDC]

1. What happens in the bitcoin network when two miners solve a block at the same time?
   The longer block will remain and the shorter one will disappear and all of its transactions will be returned to the mempool.
2. What is a stale block?
   A block that has dropped from the network
3. How do stale blocks occur?
   Because they did not the 6 confirmations needed for them to remain.
4. Why is it important to wait for more than one block to be confirmed when sending or receiving a transaction?
   To make sure that the block confirming your transaction does get dropped.

[Alko89]

@FrinaDC

Because they did not the 6 confirmations needed for them to remain.

6 confirmations is just a rule of thumb. A block might get dropped as soon as a block is mined on the other one and theoretically blocks might be found on both chains at the same time again. The more blocks that are added after the less probable it is the chain will carry on on that state.

After 6 confirmations the probability of accidental fork to not be resolved is so slim it probably will never happen.

[JCast182]

1. What happens in the bitcoin network when two miners solve a block at the same time?
   A: Each of their blocks gets appended to the blockchain and then propagated amongst the network.

2. What is a stale block?
   A: This occurs when the shorter, less PoW version of the blockchain drops a block and all of its contained transactions back into the mempool.

3. How do stale blocks occur?
   A: This phenomena occurs when we have two or more valid blocks that two or more separate miners have contributed to the blockchain at roughly the same time. Then another miner comes along and appends his block to one of the previously mentioned blocks, thus building a longer version of the blockchain that the other aforementioned blocks. When his block is propagated amongst the network, the network will accept this longer, more PoW version of the blockchain and the other block(s) will fall off and become stale/orphaned blocks whose transactions go back into the mempool.

4. Why is it important to wait for more than one block to be confirmed when sending or receiving a transaction?
   A: It takes time to propagate a block amongst the entire BTC network. This is why 10 minutes is so important in order to provide time to sync and for this to properly occur. Its safe practice for the network to actually wait for 6 block confirmations before considering a transaction/block to be fully and completely confirmed. If the network doesn’t wait for at least the next block to be confirmed, the chances exist that your transaction could be orphaned and released back into the mempool, thus taking more time for the transaction to be confirmed.

[Dominik_Szopa]

1. What happens in the bitcoin network when two miners solve a block at the same time?
   The miner with the longest block will win

2. What is a stale block?

This is block that was in the blockchain but then was dropped because there was another version of the blockchain that is longer with this block in it

3. How do stale blocks occur?

block is dropped because there was another version of the blockchain that is longer with this block in it and shortest block is dropped.

4. Why is it important to wait for more than one block to be confirmed when sending or receiving a transaction?
   To avoid block been dropped, 6 confirmations is recommended.

[Hugo_Vieira]

What happens in the bitcoin network when two miners solve a block at the same time?
The chain splits into two chains. The longest chain will win,

It´s a orhan block droped because it was not accepted in the blloockchain

It´s a block that has been produced at the same time then other but was discarded

If the transaction is in an orphan block it will be back to thed mempool

[Hash_Has42]

1. It results in different nodes having different versions of the blockchain which ultimately results in one of the miners block being orphaned.

2. A stale/orphan block is a valid block that has been cut from the blockchain because a new block connected with its competing block, taking its place.

3. A stale block occurs when it has been cut from the blockchain because a new block connected with its competing block, taking its place.

4. So that your transaction is not contained in a stale block and has to be reconfirmed.

[vocovoco]

1 When two different blocks have been mined with valid transactions and nounces, there is for a short period 2 versions of the truth
2 A stale block occurs when correctly mined block is dropped because of another new block has been mined and with that created a longer blockchain
3 It occurs when somewhere else a longer blockchain occurs and the stale blocked will be dropped from the blockchain
4 after more than one block you know for sure you transaction is in the valid part of the blockchain.

[jernejb]

[1. Blockchain splits in two for a short time. Then after a while the end with more blocks will remain in the blockchain and the other is discarded as a stale block.
2. A stale block is a block that was at the beginning in the blockchain and generated at the same time as another block. Then the block with longer chain caused this block to be dropped out of the blockchain.
3. Stale block occurs when we have two block generated at the same time, then blockchain continues only on the one with longer blockchain.
4. It’s important to wait 6 block confirmations, to make sure that produced block is not dropped from the blockchain.

[Danielsan]

1. Blockchain is forked, one is accepted, one with more proof of work, chain with higher difficulty and more confirmations from the other miners. Second is rejected and data goes back to the mempool.
2. Stale block is a block that has been accepted and added into the blockchain temporarily, has been ‘’ beaten’’ by chain with more proof of work.
3. Stale block occur when the blockchain is forked and one of them is rejected because of less proof of work.
4. To ensure that transaction is accepted and not dropped due to stale block.

[Bitcoinstache]

1. Splits into two valid chains.
2. A block that has been dropped from the blockchain.
3. They occur due to multiple miners finding the solution to a block at the same time, causing a chain fork, and eventually one of the fork fails and sending the losing chain transactions back to the mempool.
4. It’s important to wait for more than one block to be confirmed because it’s possible that your transaction could be in a stale block that is eventually dropped back in the mempool.

[Littlered]

1. Two blocks are added to the same blockchain, each having their own chain of blocks. Eventually, one of the two chains are dropped and the other one is validated and the blockchain is continued on it.

2. Stale blocks are blocks that were part of a dropped blockchain (talked about in my first answer).

3. Stale blocks occur when two miners simultaneously complete a cryptographic puzzle creating two different chain of blocks on the same original blockchain, which eventually leads to one of the chains being dropped (invalidated).

4. The rule of thumb is wait for 6 blocks to be confirmed before sending or receiving transactions so you know you are most likely transacting on a valid and continuing blockchain.