Bitcoin and Blockchain

This lecture covers the concepts of Bitcoin and blockchain technology. Bitcoin is a new currency that does not rely on a central organization and is technically intriguing. Blockchain is an immutable, distributed ledger that underlies Bitcoin, providing a permanent record of transactions with various applications. The lecture delves into the challenges of exchanging value without intermediaries, the concept of digital goods being fungible, and the properties of cryptographic hash functions. It also explores the decentralized nature of Bitcoin, the process of creating new bitcoins, and the impact of transaction fees. Additionally, it discusses the implications of blockchain technology on trust, the environment, and cybercrime.