proof of work

Definitions

1. A consensus mechanism where participants must expend computational effort to propose new blocks, making it economically impractical to attack the network. The energy expenditure serves as an unforgeable proof that real resources were committed, but critics point to the significant environmental cost.

   In plain English: A system where computers must do expensive, hard work to earn the right to add transactions to the blockchain. The waste is the point — it makes cheating too costly.

   Example: Bitcoin's proof of work consumes more electricity annually than some countries, which is either a feature or a bug depending on who you ask.

Related Terms

• mining (crypto)
• proof of stake
• consensus mechanism
• Split Brain