What Is Bitcoin Mining?
Chances are you hear the phrase “bitcoin mining” and your mind begins to wander to the Western fantasy of pickaxes, dirt and striking it rich. As it turns out, that analogy isn’t too far off.
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Bitcoin mining is performed by high-powered computers that solve complex computational math problems; these problems are so complex that they cannot be solved by hand and are complicated enough to tax even incredibly powerful computers.
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KEY TAKEAWAYS
Bitcoin mining is the process of creating new bitcoin by solving a computational puzzle.
Bitcoin mining is necessary to maintain the ledger of transactions upon which bitcoin is based.
Miners have become very sophisticated over the last several years using complex machinery to speed up mining operations.