MINING
THE ENGINE THAT FUELS THE BITCOIN ECOSYSTEM
Mining is a system that verifies transactions and provides security to the Bitcoin blockchain; it is how new bitcoins enter the market.
HOW IT WORKS
Blocks
Bitcoin transactions are pooled together in a “block”.
Solving the Block
Once a block is formed, miners compete to solve a puzzle. The puzzle is difficult to solve, yet simple to verify (think like sudoku).
Verifying the Block
Once a miner solves the puzzle for a block, the transactions in that block are “verified” by the network. The new block of verified transactions is attached to a chain of prior blocks, hence “blockchain”.
Block Reward
For solving the puzzle, a miner is rewarded with bitcoin. The current block reward is 6.25 BTC per block. Blocks are solved, on average, every 10 minutes.