Proof of Work

Proof of Work (Pow) is a consensus model in blockchain technology that requires miners to solve computationally difficult math problems in order to add new blocks onto the blockchain. These functions produce data that is used to validate that a substantial amount of work has been carried out, thus the name “proof of work.” Solving these equations will typically result in the winning miner claiming a block reward by adding it as a first transaction on the block. Proving these functions are often time-consuming and computationally expensive, sometimes this cost of mining can even outweigh the price of the reward, though this is not common.

The main proof-of-work based cryptocurrencies include Bitcoin and Litecoin. Ethereum moved from a Proof of Work to a Proof of Stake consensus model (starting in 2022), in order to solve energy consumption considerations and scalability issues.

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