Fundamentals and Cryptography Flashcards
7 cards from real Blockchain Technology practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 Fundamentals and Cryptography flashcards as text
What property of a cryptographic hash function ensures that finding two different inputs producing the same output is computationally infeasible?
Answer: Collision resistance
Collision resistance means it is infeasible to find two distinct inputs that hash to the same value.
Which hashing algorithm does Bitcoin use for its proof-of-work and block hashing?
Answer: SHA-256
Bitcoin relies on SHA-256 for block hashing and mining.
In a Merkle tree, what is stored at the root?
Answer: A single hash representing all leaf data
The Merkle root is a single hash that cryptographically commits to every leaf in the tree.
What does an asymmetric key pair consist of?
Answer: A public key and a private key
Asymmetric cryptography uses a mathematically linked public and private key pair.
Which curve is most commonly used for Bitcoin and Ethereum digital signatures?
Answer: secp256k1
Both Bitcoin and Ethereum use the secp256k1 elliptic curve for ECDSA signatures.
What is the primary purpose of a digital signature in a blockchain transaction?
Answer: To prove authorization and integrity without revealing the private key
A digital signature proves the sender authorized the transaction and that it was not altered, without exposing the private key.
Why is a small change in the input of a hash function expected to drastically change the output?
Answer: Because of the avalanche effect
The avalanche effect causes even a single-bit input change to produce a completely different hash.