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The Merkle Tree and Cryptocurrencies

The Merkle Tree and Cryptocurrencies

This course is part of Blockchain Specialization

Instructor: Stefano M. Stefan

4,998 already enrolled

Included with

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4 modules

Gain insight into a topic and learn the fundamentals.

26 reviews

Beginner level

No prior experience required

9 hours to complete

Flexible schedule

Learn at your own pace

4 modules

Gain insight into a topic and learn the fundamentals.

26 reviews

Beginner level

No prior experience required

9 hours to complete

Flexible schedule

Learn at your own pace

Skills you'll gain

Details to know

Shareable certificate

Add to your LinkedIn profile

Assessments

2 assignments¹

AI Graded see disclaimer

Taught in English

91% of learners achieved a positive career outcome

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Build your subject-matter expertise

This course is part of the Blockchain Specialization

When you enroll in this course, you'll also be enrolled in this Specialization.

Learn new concepts from industry experts
Gain a foundational understanding of a subject or tool
Develop job-relevant skills with hands-on projects
Earn a shareable career certificate

There are 4 modules in this course

Apply what you have learned about cryptography and hashing in previous blockchain to the Merkle Tree, which underlies the process of adding new blocks — representing new transactions — to the blockchain. This course also introduces the concepts of proof of work and proof of stake, which play an important part in ensuring the integrity of the blockchain.

Module details

This first week introduces more technical concepts including how we look at the manner in which data blocks are assembled as well as how hash values and encryption are used to ensure the proper sequencing and integrity of data blocks that are added to a blockchain.

What's included

1 video1 reading1 assignment1 discussion prompt

This week we will apply what we have learned up to this point about hash values and hash sequences. You will practice assembling block header hash values for a specified hash puzzle difficulty level.

What's included

1 video2 readings1 peer review1 discussion prompt

Now that we have investigated hash functions and hash puzzles, we will focus on proof-of-work, which is an approach to modifying the blockchain that can be difficult and time-consuming to compute. We will also focus on proof-of-stake, an alternative to updating the blockchain in which larger nodes are modified that already represent a large portion of the blockchain. We will investigate the pros and cons of each approach and prepare to apply the principles of proof-of-work and proof-of-stake.

What's included

1 video1 reading1 assignment1 discussion prompt

In this final week, after comparing proof-of-work and proof-of-stake, we will explore and describe alternative approaches that combine the best features of proof-of-work and proof-of-stake in this course’s final assignment.