Homework on Stale Blocks

  1. What happens in the bitcoin network when two miners solve a block at the same time?
    When this occurs the longer block is acceted by the next node / miner that is looking to confirm a transaction form the mempool. The longer blockchain s accepted and the shorter is orphaned… returning its unconfirmed transactions to the mempool.

  2. What is a stale block?

  • A stae block is an orphaned block whos transactions will be retruned to the mempool
  1. How do stale blocks occur?

When 2 miners submit a confirmation at the same time, but the other blockchain is longer and accepted as truth

  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 confirmation is accepted and propagated through the network
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  1. When two miners solve a block at the same time, it creates two versions of the blockchains (until this is rectified)

  2. A stale block is a block which is no longer part of the blockchain.

  3. It occurs when a longer chain is found on the network. That chain becomes the only version of truth, and the block on the chain that was not selected become a stale block. Transactions on that block are moved back into the mempool.

  4. Because this ensures the block is on the correct version of the blockchain, and that the transaction is not on a stale block.

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  1. The miner with the longest block receives the incentive or reward while the other block is dropped.
  2. A stale block is a block that has been solved within the blockchain network but hasn’t been accepted onto the block due to a time lag.
  3. Two blocks that have the correct truths within the 10 minute time frame. Only one can be validated (the one with the longer blocks in the chain) the block with the shortest chain will be dropped.
  4. To make sure that the block is long enough and used as opposed to being dropped.
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  1. What happens in the bitcoin network when two miners solve a block at the same time?
    Creates a fork in the network
  2. What is a stale block?
    blocks that a dropped from the network
  3. How do stale blocks occur?
    One fork becomes longer than the other
  4. Why is it important to wait for more than one block to be confirmed when sending or receiving a transaction?
    The block could be dropped
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  • What happens in the bitcoin network when two miners solve a block at the same time?
    The blockchain will fork and one block - the less lucky one - will need to be dropped

  • What is a stale block?
    The dropped block

  • How do stale blocks occur?
    Usually when miners don’t wait long enough for confirmation (at least 10 mins), then the block that wasn’t chosen by the next miner, will need to go.

  • Why is it important to wait for more than one block to be confirmed when sending or receiving a transaction?
    So it doesn’t become stale. Best to wait for 6 confirmation

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

There are two versions of the blockchain that will be propagated through the network

  1. What is a stale block?
    A state block is a block that no longer has validity in the blockchain since a longer block was propagated in the blockchain, as a consequence is removed from the network.

  2. How do stale blocks occur?

A newer version of the blockchain is propagated on the network with longest amount of blocks. The previous version which contained less blocks is disregarded and all the blocks that differ will be dropped

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

It is important in order to avoid a chaotic transactions, and to have only confirmed transactions.

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

There will be 2 different version of validation truth depending where and which blocks are connected to.

2.What is a stale block?

Stale blocks are blocks that used to be in the blockchain but gets disregarded.

3. How do stale blocks occur?

This occur when many miners successfully added there new blocks that will give different version of truth depending on which version of the blockchain it’s connected to. Whichever version of the blockchain that has a longer history connected to each other, it will be more recognised and continue while the other version of truth with less connection will get dropped out and sent back to the mempool.

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

Because of stale blocks getting dropped by the network and new blocks are added in,the block has to get propagated and it needs to be given atleast 10 minutes for every block to accept it, sync it, validate it, and then is ready for the next block. There fore its best to wait for at least 6 blocks to confirm and validate.

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  1. What happens in the bitcoin network when two miners solve a block at the same time?
    When 2 miners produce 2 valid blocks (the blocks may be different or the same) at the same time, the network will accept the version with the most PoW.
    The “problem” of the 2 splitting blocks will be solved when another miner will add his/her valid block to one of the 2 blocks that were produced at the same time.
    The new block’s miner will probably have chosen the block randomly (maybe he/she chose the version that he/she got first), and is the one that decisively contributes to the decision of the single version of truth (the one blockchain accepted by the entire network) because he/she submitted the solution (guessed the nonce) faster than other miners.

  2. What is a stale block?
    Is a block that was previously on the blockchain but got dropped because there was another version of the blockchain that had more PoW, and the network accepted it and removed all others versions.

  3. How do stale blocks occur?
    Stale blocks occur when there are at least 2 valid versions of the blockchain.
    When the network accepts innevitably accepts a single version of truth, the blocks that were on the version that was dropped are all dropped and become stale blocks (and all transactions from the stale blocks will be returned to the mempool).

  4. Why is it important to wait for more than one block to be confirmed when sending or receiving a transaction?
    It is best practice to wait for 6 more blocks to come after the block has been added to the blockchain because this will increase the probability of the initially added block to be part of the blockchain that is accepted by the whole network (and so it won’t be dropped - it won’t become a stale block).

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

Another block will be pruned and the other block will continue to exist on the blockchain. This depends on which one becomes longer and thus is accepted by nodes.

  1. What is a stale block?

An additional block forking to other direction. They are usually removed when nodes eventually choose the longer block.

  1. How do stale blocks occur?

When the block creation time is short. Rule is that there is 10 minute wait before new blocks can be added, but when the time is shorter than this, stale blocks occurring becomes more likely.

  1. 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 was on the correct “path” and will still be valid according to nodes. Sometimes it might be a stale block which gets pruned, and that is why it is important to wait.

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  • What happens in the bitcoin network when two miners solve a block at the same time?
    There are 2 versions of blockchain and depends on which node gets which version of it.

  • What is a stale block?
    Dropped and removed block after the acceptance of the longest blockchain

  • How do stale blocks occur?
    For example when 2 miners have solved puzzle at the same time.

  • Why is it important to wait for more than one block to be confirmed when sending or receiving a transaction?
    To prevent the stale block situation.

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  1. two version of the blockchain are created at the same time and are both correct.
  2. block that was correct but the other ‘‘twin’’ block was confirmed with another block before it making it the longer more trusted blockchain
    3, 2 correct miners hashing the correct nonce for there respective blocks at the exact same time cause a split in the blockchain
  3. so that ur tsx is confirmed and doesnt happen to be part of a stale block sent back to the mempool.
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  1. Both nodes will than propagate their version of truth to the rest of the network.
  2. It is a block that was dropped as the longer chain with another block won.
  3. Since the block can be dropped so best practice is to wait for 6 more blocks to be appended to that chain to be 100% sure that block will not be dropped.
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  1. the block in the longest chain wins and the other block is discarded and considered a stale or orphaned block. All the transactions are returned to the mempool.

    1. A stale block is the block that was in the blockchain but then dropped because another block that was produced at the same time was part of a longer chain.
  2. After a fork. Its the block with the shorthest chain.

  3. To avoid stale blocks

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

They both will be entered into the blockchain, it depends on who gets the next block on their chain to make it valid(the most difficult one will continue and that
will make it the longest one as well)
for this reason, there is a 10 min waiting period so that miners don’t solve a block at the same time, and get 6 or more confirmations

What is a stale block?

is block dropped by the blockchain, it needs to be re-mined and confirmed before it can enter the blockchain

How do stale blocks occur?

2 version of the truth is being released through the blockchain with less than 6 confirmations and under the 10 min window

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 gets accepted, the more confirmation you have will confirm that the block is valid and can be added to the blockchain

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  1. What happens in the bitcoin network when two miners solve a block at the same time?
    Both blocks are appended to the blockchain, and when the next block is mined, which ever block it appends too, the other which is stale is removed from the blockchain and sent to a mempool.

  2. What is a stale block?
    A block that was previously on the blockchain but was removed and sent to a mempool, due to the blockchain receiving another longer chain and version of truth.

  3. How do stale blocks occur?
    When another version of truth and longer chain is accepted by the blockchain; this happens when the block which was validated same time with the supposed stale block is appended with other new blocks, and then the other block(stale block) which is not linked with any new block is removed from the blockchain and added to the memepool

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

So as to ensure that the transaction is not added to a stale block that would be sent to the mempool but a block that would added to the blockchain and linked to at less 6 other blocks.

You are good, damn! So so good

  1. Some nodes will get the one version and some the other. The version with be most pow will prevail.
  2. A block that has been discarded in the past from the current blockchain.
  3. They occur in the cases of a fork.
  4. To minimise the chances of a fork.
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  1. What happens in the bitcoin network when two miners solve a block at the same time?
    They will propagate through the network and miners will start building on top of the block that first arrives. Eventually one branch will win out and all miners will shift to the branch with the most proof of work.
  2. What is a stale block?
    A stale block is an abandoned one that is replaced by another belonging to a “longer” chain.
  3. How do stale blocks occur?
    By being mined into a branch that did not win as per above.
  4. Why is it important to wait for more than one block to be confirmed when sending or receiving a transaction?
    Because your transaction might be confirmed in a block that is made stale. Waiting for up to six confirmations decreases the likelihood of this happening to pretty much zero.
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  1. Both blocks are accepted onto the chain and the chain splits until one chain becomes longer.

  2. A stale block is one that was confirmed and put on the chain, but eventually got dropped once a longer chain was found.

  3. 1,2

  4. Your 1 confirmation could be rendered invalided if it becomes a stale block.

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The the chain will temporarily be split into 2 valid chains. The factor that will determine which block will be accepted is POW or the longest chain. All other blocks will be discarded and the dropped blocks (stale blocks / orphaned blocks) will be sent back to the mempool.

The block or chain that became invalidated after a new version of the blockchain was created and secured by proof of work or longer chain of blocks

Stale blocks happen in the bitcoin network when for example two miners solve a block at the same time, but only the version with the most PoW within the block time goes on to be accepted as the new block. This causes the other block to be invalidated and transactions sent back to mempool. These blocks are what is referred to as stale blocks

The general rule of thumb is to wait for more than 6 blocks before transaction is deemed confirmed due to the fact that blocks can be subject to becoming stale blocks

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