Homework on Stale Blocks

Blockchain and Bitcoin 101
#502
  1. What happens in the bitcoin network when two miners solve a block at the same time?
    There will be two chains until a new block gets added after one of those chains. This is then the longest chain. The other competing block will be discarded and the transactions that where in it will be returned to the mempool.
  2. What is a stale block?
    A block that was discarded after it lost to another.
  3. How do stale blocks occur?
    Because miners solve a block at the same time. These blocks are different but valid and do not arrive at the nodes in the network at exactly the same time.
  4. Why is it important to wait for more than one block to be confirmed when sending or receiving a transaction?
    It takes time to propagate blocks through the network and there is always a chance that your transaction ended up in stale block. The more confirmations (blocks after) a transaction has the less likely it is that it is rolled back. The general rule in bitcoin is to wait for 6 conformations.
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#503
  1. This will create a paralle block in the chain.
  2. This block didn’t make it (less energy as the other block) and is removed and all the tx are back in the mempool.
  3. see 1
  4. Your tx will be in the blockchain and not in the stale block.
#504
  1. What happens in the bitcoin network when two miners solve a block at the same time?
    The longest chain will be accepted into the blockchain
  2. What is a stale block?
    a block that has no been accepted into the blockchain
  3. How do stale blocks occur?
    They occur when miners pick blocks that they get to first and other blocks that didnt get chosen.
  4. Why is it important to wait for more than one block to be confirmed when sending or receiving a transaction?
    Because there needs to b enough confirmations to verify that what is transmitted is confirmed with other miners & it is valid.
#505

  1. What happens in the bitcoin network when two miners solve a block at the same time?
    They both will go to the blockchain. Eventually one will be dropped, which ever the next block is not on will be dropped.

  2. What is a stale block?
    A stale block is what was stated above, when there are two blocks are solved at the same time and the one that is the shorter chain after the next block will be dropped.

  3. How do stale blocks occur?
    Stale blocks occur when two blocks are solved at the same time. The occur when the next block is mined, which ever block the current block decided to solve for will be the longer block and will stay, and the other block will 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?
    You do not want to get in a situation where you only wait for one confirmation but the block ended up becoming stale.

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#506

  1. if two miners solve a block at the same time, one of the blocks will be orphaned or dropped out of the blockchain eventually

  2. a stale block is one that is about to be dropped

  3. the stale block is when one miner completes a block but it is not added to the chain in the end

  4. if you only wait for one block confirmation it could be that the block that was with your tx will be dropped if it was a stale block or was built on a stale block and then the tx is also dropped

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#507
  1. Two versions of the blockchain are created
  2. The block which was abandoned as the longer blockchain in terms of POW “won”.
  3. Two miners choosing to work on two different blocks and one of them being faster than the other. Two blocks are added to the network creating two versions of the blockchain
  4. To ensure that the transactions are not in the staled block.
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#508

  1. The both have two different but valid version of the blockchain confirmed until one is chosen to be extended by another miner for the next block in the chain.

  2. Stale blocks are blocks that are dropped from the network due to not being extended by another miner to further the chain.

  3. When two miners both guess the correct nonce to append a block to the chain. As a miner append another block on the chain. The one not chosen is destroyed moving the tx back to the Mempool.

  4. It reduces the odds of that confirmation being a stale block or orphaned block as others refer to it as.

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#509
  1. Temporary fork, the longest chain will be picked by the 3rd miner as the truth.
  2. The shortest chain that gets rejected/ dropped.
  3. When 2 miners mine the same block , one chain will go stale.
  4. To insure that the TX is accepted and not get dropped, 6 conformations is ideal.
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#510
  1. The longest blockchain will win and the other chain will go to the mempool.
  2. The shorter blockchain or orphaned block is stale block.
  3. They occur because of two miners mining at the same time different blocks. The shortest block will be no part of the blockchain and become stale or orphaned block.
  4. To be sure that the stale block or orphaned block is avoid.
#511
  1. The one with the longer chain wins and the other is dropped and back into the mempool.
  2. A block that was once in the blockchain but dropped back into the mempool due to having a shorter chain the one is was solved at the same time at.
  3. Stale blocks happen when two blocks are solved at the same time but the one with the shorter chain gets dropped causing it to go “stale”.
  4. 6 confirmations is what is recommended to avoid a possible stale block.
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#512
  1. The chain splits and the longest one will win.
  2. The chain splits, the longest one wins and the other one will be ‘orphaned’
  3. See answer to question 2.
  4. To avoid stale blocks in the chain, the more the better.
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#513
  1. The network will have two competing chains.
  2. Stale block is the one that lose in collision resolution and has to return all its transactions to the mempool.
  3. When collision is resolved and one chain is selected, then the other chain will have to drop all the blocks up to the point where two chain has the same block.
  4. Because even after one or two confirmations, it is possible that the blocks that included the transaction become stale and have to return transaction to mempool.
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#514

  1. Both will propagate their block through the network. Other miners will mine on either or the blocks. The chain with larger and more POW will remain and the other will be dropped.

  2. Stale blocks are blocks which were once in the network and then were dropped.

  3. Stale blocks occur when two blocks are mined at the same time, and subsequently network goes on to choose the one with the more POW.

  4. The block carrying our transaction can be dropped subsequently if it forms lesser POW compared to other blocks mined at the same time.

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#515

  1. Their blocks will append to the blockchain and propagated to the nodes in direct contact with them, leading the 2 versions of the blockchain.

  2. A stale block is a block that has been abandoned by the network. The transactions in a stale block will go back into the mempool.

  3. Stale blocks occur when a competing version of the blockchain gets accepted as the truth. The blocks in the abandoned chain that are not in the accepted chain, get rejected and become stale blocks.

  4. To avoid the stale block scenario and be sure that the transaction is recorded in the true version of the blockchain.

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#516
  1. What happens in the bitcoin network when two miners solve a block at the same time?

If 2 miners mine a block simultaneously, both chains are valid temporarily. Until a 6 stage confirmation occurs the less established chain is dropped and the block is broken back into the mempool.

  1. What is a stale block?

A stale/orphan block is successfully mined block that has been submitted to the network but has been overridden by a longer chain within the network

  1. How do stale blocks occur?

Stale blocks occur when 2 or more miners successfully mine a block, but due to geographical location and network connection they create their own local chains. The global network however only accepts the longest chain. The chain that is dropped results in stale blocks. The transactions are not lost however as they return to the mempool.

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

It’s important the network upholds a 6 confirmation standard; as it reduces the possibility greatly of 2 chains forming. If 2 chains form it will create a failure in the protocol as it’s impossible for chains to communicate with each other. UTXO’s of opposing chains could double spend and they wouldn’t know.

#517

1- What happens in the bitcoin network when two miners solve a block at the same time?
The network accepts the longest blockchain in terms of proof of work.

2- What is a stale block?
a dropped block where the data is retuned to the meme pool

3- How do stale blocks occur?
because the are mined at the same time and where =in the shorter chain in terms of proof of work

4- Why is it important to wait for more than one block to be confirmed when sending or receiving a transaction?
Then there is less change that the block will be orphaned or dropped. After 10min everything should suppose to be a kind of synced

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#518
  1. Two blockchains are create. But when one of will be picked up by another miner and add another block. Making that block longer. Then all of the block fron the shorter blockchain that are not in the longer one will become a stale block.
  2. Stale block a block that was added to a lossing chain are returned back to the mempool for a miner to attept to confirm it again.
  3. A stale block occures when two miners confirm differet blocks and the shorter chain losses to the longer chain.
  4. Because that block could become stale. To make sure it does get dropped it is recommend wait up to 6 confirmation.
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#519
  1. What happens in the bitcoin network when two miners solve a block at the same time?
  • The chain forks temporary.
  1. What is a stale block?
  • A block from a forked chain who is not the “chosen one” - Tx is put back to the mempool and will be mined on the chain later.
  1. How do stale blocks occur?
  • By 2 miners hit the nonce number at almost the same time.
  1. Why is it important to wait for more than one block to be confirmed when sending or receiving a transaction?
  • Because the network will decide later, what block is the correct blockchain. If you accept a wrong block and the network chose another chain, then you may be cheated to think the trancation is recived and in worst case loose your money if the other part take advantage of this mistake.
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#520

  1. When two miners solve a block at the same time on the BTC network, those nodes closest to the miners recognize the block until one chain becomes longer than the other. The longer chain becomes accepted because there is only one version of truth.

  2. The stale block is the shorter dropped block that is returned to the mempool.

  3. Stale blocks occur when the network recognizes that there are two versions and the stale block is subsequently dropped to the mempool.

  4. It is important to wait for more than one block to be confirmed when sending/receiving a TX to minimize the chances of having a stale block occur.

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#521
  1. Whichever block gets accepted first by other miners is the one that is added to the chain the other one is orphaned.
  2. A stale block is a block that gets rejected and sent back to the mempool.
  3. When 2 nonces are guessed at the exact same time.
  4. Because your transaction may not be added to the blockchain immediately, it could be orphaned and sent back to the mempool.
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