Bitcoin Q&A: The Value of Proof-of-Work

Can a blockchain exist without miners, proof-of-work, or blocks? What are the implications for security, trustlessness, and decentralisation? Not all distributed ledgers are blockchains. What is the influence of alternative energy generation on mining in proof-of-work cryptocurrencies? Should we use alternative algorithms that generate "useful work" in addition to mining cryptocurrencies? The hard promises that Bitcoin provides are valuable and useful in themselves. What is the difference between proof-of-work and proof-of-stake?

Note: These sessions were recorded live using Google Hangouts. The audio and video may be slightly out of sync at some points.

Chapters
0:00 How does a free blockchain work?
1:36 Are blocks really an advantage in the blockchain? Do blocks formed in the blockchain need to exist? If every single transaction was validated by itself, wouldn't that solve the block size problem? Wouldn't it be faster to validate each transaction? Is it possible to create cryptocurrency without blocks?
4:32 Can the cost of energy be minimized by green energy? What if the mining economy throughout the world was mining with green energy?
8:10 I was wondering if there are any workable solutions for diverting that computing power for bonus value creation, tackling other problems that require a lot of computing power
12:21 Can you explain the most important differences between proof-of-work and proof-of-stake?

These questions are from the MOOC sessions 7.2 and 8.2, covering the Byzantine Generals' Problem, which took place on February 26th 2017 and September 15th 2017 respectively. Andreas is a teaching fellow with the University of Nicosia. The first course in their Master of Science in Digital Currency degree, DFIN-511: Introduction to Digital Currencies, is offered for free as an open enrollment MOOC course to anyone interested in learning about the fundamental principles.

If you want early-access to talks and a chance to participate in the monthly live Q&As with Andreas, become a patron:   / aantonop  

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Andreas M. Antonopoulos is a technologist and serial entrepreneur who has become one of the most well-known and respected figures in bitcoin.

Follow on Twitter: @aantonop   / aantonop  
Website: https://antonopoulos.com/

He is the author of two books: “Mastering Bitcoin,” published by O’Reilly Media and considered the best technical guide to bitcoin; “The Internet of Money,” a book about why bitcoin matters.

THE INTERNET OF MONEY, v1: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Internet-Mon...

[NEW] THE INTERNET OF MONEY, v2: https://www.amazon.com/Internet-Money...

MASTERING BITCOIN: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Mastering-Bi...

[NEW] MASTERING BITCOIN, 2nd Edition: https://www.amazon.com/Mastering-Bitc...

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