Homework on Stale Blocks

Blockchain and Bitcoin 101
#4174
  1. When two miners solve a block at one time their blocks continue to the nodes closest. Two versions will exist for a time until another miner creates a block and choses one block to mine off. the other is dropped becoming a stale block.
  2. A stale block is a block that was mined at the same time as another block but was not mined off of thus not being added to the chain
    3.A stale block occurs when two blocks are mined at the same time
  3. It is important for more than one block to be confirmed when sending or receiving a transaction because you need to confirm your block was added to the chain.
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#4175

  1. What happens in the bitcoin network when two miners solve a block at the same time?
    a. Both are posted until one is confirmed and the other is removed to the mempool.

  2. What is a stale block?
    b. A block that was relegated back to the mempool as unconfirmed.

  3. How do stale blocks occur?
    c. When two different blocks are submitted to the network the one that is ultimately NOT accepted becomes stale.

  4. Why is it important to wait for more than one block to be confirmed when sending or receiving a transaction?
    d. So your transaction not bumped to the mempool as a stale block.

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#4176

  1. Both miners propagate their versions of the blockchain to nodes close to them and these spread through the network until other miners start adding blocks to either chain. The chain with the most proof of work wins and the other chain gets dropped as an orphaned or stale block.

  2. A stale block is a block that is dropped as explained above.

  3. Stale blocks occur because there can only be one version of the true blockchain .

  4. It is good practice to wait for at least 6 confirmations in order to be sure that your transaction is on the true blockchain and not a stale block.

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#4177
  1. What happens in the bitcoin network when two miners solve a block at the same time?

The bitcoin network will chose the block that belongs to the longest blockchain with the most proof of work. The next miner who produces a even newer block, need to link his block two one of the blocks produced at the same time. Whichever he chooses, will now be part of the longer blockchain, this block gets added to the blockchain. The other block will get dropped, the transactions inside the block that gets dropped are sent back to the mempool.

  1. What is a stale block?

A stale block is a block that gets dropped by the network.

  1. How do stale blocks occur?

Stale blocks occur when blocks are produced faster than 10 minutes, sending a block to propegate while there already is a block propegating.

  1. Why is it important to wait for more than one block to be confirmed when sending or receiving a transaction?

Because after on comfirmation, you have the risk of this block being a orphan/ stale block which could get dropped. Then the transaction will get invalidated. Waiting for 6 confirmations ensures you that the transaction is added to the blockchain.

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#4178

1, The less difficult one has to be dropped, all transactions in that block are put back to mempool.

  1. A stale is not accepted by the network and has to start over again

  2. Because of physical distance in the globe network, two miners slove different block at the same time, but not knowing the other one exists.

  3. To be sure your TX is accepted and not dropped as a stale block.

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#4179

  1. Both blocks are appended to the blockchain and the one that forms the basis of the subsequent block is kept which the other is ā€œorphanedā€ and the transactions returned to the mempool.

  2. A stale (orphaned) block is a block that was valid at the time it was mined but has become stale by virtue of another block (also valid) being used as the basis for continuing the blockchain.

  3. Stale blocks occur by subsequent miners building on the blockchain of other valid blocks instead of the stale one.

  4. It is best to wait for 6 confirmations to ensure that your transaction is not included in a stale block.

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#4180

  1. What happens in the bitcoin network when two miners solve a block at the same time?
    Both miners will propagate their new mined block through the network at the same time. This creates a situation where at a given time there are two versions of the blockchain. After other blocks are mined the longest version of the blockchain will prevail.

  2. What is a stale block?
    A stale block is a valid block that was rejected / dropped because another valid block mined at the same time has formed the longest chain.

  3. How do stale blocks occur?
    A stale block is created when more than one miner mines a block simultaneously. The block that goes on to form the longest chain is confirmed and the other becomes a stale block.

  4. Why is it important to wait for more than one block to be confirmed when sending or receiving a transaction?
    The transaction might end up in a stale block and is returned to the mempool. This way, the system makes sure the transaction is part of a block that belongs to the longest chain.

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#4181

1. What happens in the bitcoin network when two miners solve a block at the same time? They both start to broadcast it to the entire network and start working on the next one. The one which gets accepted by the majority of nodes will be the rightful one becoming part of the official blockchainā€™s version.

2. What is a stale block? A block that has been added to the blockchain but has been deprecated afterwards due to the network accepting a different block as the true one.

3. How do stale blocks occur? When two or more miners mine successful blocks at the same time, only one block will end up being part of the official blockchainā€™s version so the others will become stale blocks.

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 your transaction was added with does not become a stale block.

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#4182
  1. What happens in the bitcoin network when two miners solve a block at the same time?
    two versions of the blockchain will exist, each with various transactions, creating a discrepancy needing more miners to build more blocks and ultimatly decide on 1 version of truth based on the longest chain. *(only 1 version of the blockchain will continue and if your block does not get accepted the transactions will go back to the memory pool and block you made will be considered invalid)
  2. What is a stale block?
    A block that ends up not being acceoted by the blockchain simply because its no longer part of the longest chain, a stale block occurs when multi blocks are created at the same time causing one to be rejected overtime.
  3. How do stale blocks occur?
    they occur when multi blocks are created at the same time by various miners, forcing the blockchain to pick 1 version of truth (alwasy the longest chain)
  4. Why is it important to wait for more than one block to be confirmed when sending or receiving a transaction?
    It it suggested to wait for 6 blocks to confirm a transaction because there is a chance that the transaction was in a block that ends up not being accepted by the network, thus by waiting 6 blocks you will have more then enought confirmation ensuring that your transaction is part of the longest runnig blockchain and thus is validaded by the network and accepted.
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#4183

  1. When two miners solve a block at at the same time, both mining nodes propagate the new blocks, albeit different blocks with different hashes, to nodes nearest to them.

  2. A stale block is a block discarded/invalid.

  3. Stale blocks occur when 2 block are mined at the same time so the blockchain is forced to choose the longer chain over another, resulting in a discarded/invalid block(s).

  4. Waiting for more than one block to be confirmed can help make sure the block that your transaction is in does not ultimately become discarded/invalid as a stale block, resulting in your transaction to be nulled and sent back to the mempool.

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#4184

1. What happens in the bitcoin network when two miners solve a block at the same time?
I assume that ā€œthe same timeā€ is a way of saying very close to the same time and within the 10 minute block time regulation. I this case, the node that is closest to the block that has been solved will receive said block. There will then be two different versions of the blockchain on the network. Once a new block is mined the node that receives will become the longer chain and will be accepted as true while the other is invalidated and returned to the mempool until it is mined again.
2. Therefore a Stale Block is is a block that was not confirmed or accepted onto the blockchain and will be returned to the mempool.
3. Stale blocks are a result of a validated block becoming invalid after a fork and it ends up the shorter block.
4. A transaction could left stale or orphaned if there have not been enough confirmations to secure it to the blockchain.

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#4185

  1. Two versions of the blockchain (truth) exist at the same time

  2. A block which was correct and in the blockchain but got dropped because another version of the blockchain at the same time was longer (more difficulty)

  3. From two versions of the blockchain and the one which got dropped are named Stale Blocks

  4. Because it might be the case that your transaction is in a block which is in the shorter version of the blockchain and will be dropped

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#4186

  1. the next block will be created and whichever blockchain is longest/hardest, that blockchain will exist. the other block has been ā€œorphanedā€ and the transactions is that block will be reapplied in the mempool.

  2. a stale block is the ā€œorphanedā€ block

  3. when 2 miners acquire a new block at the same time

  4. so there cant be a invalid blockchain which hasnt spread fully across the network. it gives the mempool the possibility to redirect the TXO in a new block.

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#4187
  1. different nodes receive different source of true, depending on their location and the chance.Two possible block endings are created.
  2. Stale block, is a block which is dropped back and his transactions returned to the mempool
  3. When the longer chain of blocks wins
  4. Because there is a chance that your block will be dropped and become stale.
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#4188
  1. What happens in the bitcoin network when two miners solve a block at the same time?

The respective blocks will be added to their version of the blockchain until another new block is added to one of the blockchains (making it a longer blockchain), then the shorter blockchain will drop the added block, releasing back to the mempool.

  1. What is a stale block?

The blocks that have been released back to the mempool.

  1. How do stale blocks occur?

When another blockchain becomes the ā€œlongerā€ chain. The shorter chain version newly added block would be the ā€˜staleā€™ block.

  1. Why is it important to wait for more than one block to be confirmed when sending or receiving a transaction?

To ensure that the block does not become stale and not saved in the blockchain.

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#4189

1.When 2 miners solve a block at exactly the same time.
2.It is a block that got dropped and itā€™s transactions gets sent back to the mempool.
3.When different miners solve a block at exactly the same time but miners chose a preferred block/chain/truth to continue on that then becomes the longer chain(the truth),the blocks that get dropped and does not become part of the chain(the truth) are kicked out and sent back to the mempool.
They are called stale blocks.
4.To be sure that a block becomes part of the chain/the truth and not dropped/stale.

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#4190

  1. Since there can be only 1 version of a block, one will have to be selected over the other. The selection is determined by which block is the first to have another block appended to it by subsequent mining processes. The longest blockchain in terms of difficulty will win.

  2. A stale block is a block that has been rejected because a competing block, with a longer blockchain has been accepted.

  3. Stale blocks occur when more than one block is initially accepted at the same time and process then follows in which only 1 block survives and the other are rejected.

  4. The ideal is to wait for 6 confirmations. If you only wait for 1 confirmation, there is a chance that the block that produced the confirmation is subsequently rejected, in which case the transaction will be sent back to the mempool.

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#4191

  1. Two true versions of the blockchain co-exist till another miner decides which one is valid by using its hash for his new block. Cause the network always chooses the chain with the most PoW in it, the other block will get dropped, the transactions get back in the mempool.

  2. A block which existed for a short time, but didnt get in the chain, cause a longer version of the blockchain exists.

  3. By two versions of truth of the blockchain, which both get propagated to the network at the same time.

  4. to see if your block got accepted by the network. It is possible that your transaction is part of a stale block and therefore wont get accepted. (stale block)

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#4192

  1. What happens in the bitcoin network when two miners solve a block at the same time?
    One will become a stale block and it will be dropped if another block does not attach to it fast enough, the one it does it will be considered the long Blockchain which will be adopted by the network as the real version of the Blockchain, the block left will be dropped and the TXOs will be sent to the Mempool.

  2. What is a stale block?
    The block which is dropped from the blockchain, had no new block solving in enough time before the other block did so this block is not a truth version of blockchain and is abandoned, all TXOs are sent back to Mempool as a result.

  3. How do stale blocks occur?
    Two miners produce a block each and attach them to the blockchain at the same time, some nodes will acknowledge one version and another nodes acknowledge another version of the truth blockchain, it depends on geographic closeness from the miners, however the one that gets another block attached as fast it can it will be propagated as the real and only one version of the truth because it becomes the longest blockchain first.

  4. Why is it important to wait for more than one block to be confirmed when sending or receiving a transaction?
    Ä°n case our block gets dropped and TXOs get sent back to Mempool.

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#4193
  1. What happens in the bitcoin network when two miners solve a block at the same time?
    One will become a stale block and one will become a solved block that will continue the blockchain. The solved block which has the most PoW will win out in the network and the remaining block will be removed. The transactions in the removed block will be returned to the mempool.
  2. What is a stale block?
    Stale blocks were once apart of the blockchain, but got dropped from the network after losing to a superior block, with more PoW.
  3. How do stale blocks occur?
    When different blocks are competing to be added to the network. Only one can win out and become apart of the network and the other becomes stale.
  4. Why is it important to wait for more than one block to be confirmed when sending or receiving a transaction?
    To see if the block is accepted by the network and isnā€™t a stale block.
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