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Topic: A question about a currently mined block (Read 551 times)

legendary
Activity: 1232
Merit: 1030
give me your cryptos
February 09, 2016, 03:18:44 PM
#9
Oh. I thought these blocks were accidentally made by the system, because the coinbase is sent to the miner's wallet. Hence the 25 BTC.

I guess it's a learning day for me Cheesy
legendary
Activity: 2982
Merit: 1506
Pie Baking Contest: https://tinyurl.com/2s3z6dee
February 09, 2016, 06:50:37 AM
#8
After reading your replies and the discussion on stack, I think I barely understand what an empty block is and why does it happen. Still a lot more to learn Undecided
Thank you so much guys!

It happens because a block is found every 10 minutes on average, whether there are transactions waiting for a confirmation or not. It would make no sense to force a miner to include at least x transactions, because they could just create filler transactions to fill the needed quota and not confirm any other.

Adding blocks to the blockchain adds security for all previously confirmed transactions, because they are now burried deeper in blocks and thus harder to reverse. In order to reverse a TX that was confirmed 6 blocks ago you need to find 6 blocks to replace those already found. This gets increasingly difficult with more blocks added. This is true for empty blocks as well as full or any other blocks somewhere between full and empty.

To add to this explanation, the most common example of an empty block is a block that was mined under 1 minutes after the previous block was mined

If there are 500 transactions before the X block and Y block , then most if not all of that 500 transactions will be in the X block assuming that it is still less than 1 mb / block. Then if Y block was found right after every transaction goes through X block then Y block will be empty without any transaction
copper member
Activity: 1498
Merit: 1528
No I dont escrow anymore.
February 09, 2016, 01:51:21 AM
#7
After reading your replies and the discussion on stack, I think I barely understand what an empty block is and why does it happen. Still a lot more to learn Undecided
Thank you so much guys!

It happens because a block is found every 10 minutes on average, whether there are transactions waiting for a confirmation or not. It would make no sense to force a miner to include at least x transactions, because they could just create filler transactions to fill the needed quota and not confirm any other.

Adding blocks to the blockchain adds security for all previously confirmed transactions, because they are now burried deeper in blocks and thus harder to reverse. In order to reverse a TX that was confirmed 6 blocks ago you need to find 6 blocks to replace those already found. This gets increasingly difficult with more blocks added. This is true for empty blocks as well as full or any other blocks somewhere between full and empty.
newbie
Activity: 5
Merit: 0
February 08, 2016, 09:07:13 PM
#6
After reading your replies and the discussion on stack, I think I barely understand what an empty block is and why does it happen. Still a lot more to learn Undecided
Thank you so much guys!
staff
Activity: 3458
Merit: 6793
Just writing some code
February 08, 2016, 09:03:22 PM
#5
If you don't include transactions, the block is easier to solve. Miners can pick what txs get added into a block, which it why it happens.
Nothing about it makes it "easier" to solve. They are all the same difficulty. It is simply a cause of either fast blocks or SPV mining (usually the latter) in which the miner simply didn't have the time to add transactions to the block. There was no reason to rebuild the block with different transactions other than the first.
full member
Activity: 140
Merit: 100
fastdice.com The Worlds Fastest Bitcoin Dice
February 08, 2016, 08:59:30 PM
#4
According to Blockchain.info,
the block 397447 contained only 1 transaction and its 0.26kb large,

why and how could it be?

Thank you!


p.s. non programming background, an idiot of coding
This is an "empty" block since it doesn't contain any other transactions. This is not unusual and it happens a lot more often than you think it does. It is perfectly valid.

I see, thanks. Just wondering, why does empty exist? is it kind of "wasted"?
If you don't include transactions, the block is easier to solve. Miners can pick what txs get added into a block, which it why it happens.
newbie
Activity: 5
Merit: 0
February 08, 2016, 08:58:34 PM
#3
According to Blockchain.info,
the block 397447 contained only 1 transaction and its 0.26kb large,

why and how could it be?

Thank you!


p.s. non programming background, an idiot of coding
This is an "empty" block since it doesn't contain any other transactions. This is not unusual and it happens a lot more often than you think it does. It is perfectly valid.

I see, thanks. Just wondering, why does empty exist? is it kind of "wasted"?
staff
Activity: 3458
Merit: 6793
Just writing some code
February 08, 2016, 08:52:50 PM
#2
According to Blockchain.info,
the block 397447 contained only 1 transaction and its 0.26kb large,

why and how could it be?

Thank you!


p.s. non programming background, an idiot of coding
This is an "empty" block since it doesn't contain any other transactions. This is not unusual and it happens a lot more often than you think it does. It is perfectly valid.
newbie
Activity: 5
Merit: 0
February 08, 2016, 08:48:31 PM
#1
According to Blockchain.info,
the block 397447 contained only 1 transaction and its 0.26kb large,

why and how could it be?

Thank you!


p.s. non programming background, an idiot of coding
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