Bitcoin
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Bitcoin is a digital currency that can be created and mined via a distributed ledger known as a blockchain. Bitcoin miners use software to run complex mathematical formulas to create and confirm transactions known as blocks that get added to a computerized accounting system. For their efforts those miners are rewarded with bitcoins or fractions of bitcoins that can be bought and sold through various cryptocurrency exchanges.
Learn More: How Does Bitcoin Work? -
Like other currencies or assets, the value of a Bitcoin depends on the supply of the cryptocurrency and the market demand for it versus other competing cryptocurrencies. News about the crypto industry also can impact the value of the digital currency. On Nov. 10, 2021, Bitcoin reached an all-time high of about $68,0000.
Learn More: How much is one Bitcoin? -
Ether (ETH), the cryptocurrency of the Ethereum network is the second most popular digital token after Bitcoin, and its currency is known as Ether, the second-largest cryptocurrency by market capitalization. Ether and Bitcoin both are digital currencies traded via online exchanges and stored in cryptocurrency wallets. They also are both decentralized, meaning that they are not issued or regulated by a central bank or other authority. While both use distributed ledger technology, they differ in terms of the algorithms on which they function. Both use what is known as a proof of work, or PoW, consensus protocol as a kind of accounting system, but in 2022 Ethereum is moving to a new consensus protocol system known as proof of stake, or PoS, which is considered more secure and scalable.
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As many investors know, Bitcoin is the most well-known cryptocurrency but there are several competing digital currencies including Ripple’s XRP, which is the cryptocurrency ranked sixth in terms of total market capitalization, as of the end of 2021. While Bitcoin transaction confirmations may take many minutes with high transaction costs, XRP transactions are confirmed in seconds with little cost, which has spurred many banks to adopt the XRP payment system.
Learn More: Bitcoin vs. Ripple: What's the Difference?
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Bitcoin Mining
Bitcoin mining is the process of creating new Bitcoin by solving complicated math problems or puzzles as quickly as possible. The first miner to solve the puzzle is rewarded with Bitcoin. Miners have become very sophisticated over the past several years, using complex machinery to speed up mining operations, but the process also has become controversial because it is not considered environmentally friendly due to the large amount of electricity that can be required to run the mathematical formulas.
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Altcoin
Altcoins refers to all other cryptocurrencies other than Bitcoin. As of the fall of 2021, there are over 14,000 cryptocurrencies, and altcoins accounted for nearly 60% of the total cryptocurrency market in November 2021, according to CoinMarketCap.
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Proof of Work
Proof of work (PoW) is a decentralized verification method that requires members of a network to solve an arbitrary mathematical puzzle to prevent anybody from gaming the system. The consensus practice is used widely in cryptocurrency mining, for validating transactions and mining new tokens.
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Bitcoin Whale
A Bitcoin whale is someone who has a large holding of Bitcoin to the degree that their actions can have huge ripple effects on the market. The biggest known bitcoin whales are Satoshi Nakamoto, the inventor of bitcoin, the Winklevoss twins, and venture capitalists like Tim Draper and Barry Silbert.
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Satoshi
Satoshi is the smallest unit of the cryptocurrency Bitcoin, which is named after Satoshi Nakamoto, the founder or founders of Bitcoin, the anonymous author(s) of a white paper in 2008 that outlined the development of the Bitcoin cryptocurrency and market. The satoshi to bitcoin ratio is 100 million satoshis to one bitcoin.
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Satoshi Nakamoto
Satoshi Nakamoto is the anonymous author or authors who wrote the original Bitcoin white paper detailing the concept, and is credited with inventing Bitcoin itself. While several people have claimed to be Satoshi, the true identity of the person known as Satoshi Nakamoto has never been verified nor revealed.
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Bitcoin Wallet
A Bitcoin wallet is a program used for holding and sending Bitcoins or various cryptocurrencies through private keys needed to sign Bitcoin transactions. The most secure Bitcoin wallets are known as hardware wallets, while web wallets are the least secure.
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Bitcoin Cash
Bitcoin Cash is the cryptocurrency that was formed as a result of a Bitcoin hard fork or split that occurred in August 2017. As the industry and market grew, the new Bitcoin Cash was created to accommodate a larger block size compared to Bitcoin, allowing more transactions into a single block. Bitcoin Cash itself underwent another fork in November 2018 and split into Bitcoin Cash ABC and Bitcoin Cash SV (Satoshi Vision). To complicate things further, Bitcoin Cash ABC is referred to as Bitcoin Cash now.
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Explore Bitcoin
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