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Topic: How big is a bitcoin? (Read 2324 times)

newbie
Activity: 33
Merit: 0
February 18, 2016, 04:32:49 AM
#31
There is no set file size for a bitcoin. It does not have to be just one particular size
full member
Activity: 164
Merit: 100
February 12, 2016, 08:34:30 PM
#30
Bitcoin when consider physical also it does't have a specific size or weight. It purely based on the creator. According to me The bitcoin can be measured only on its value, if so bitcoin is very very.............very big

Yeah, value matters, and not the size, and we all know what value bitcoin holds at a moment, so its the value of bitcoin that makes it bigger and bigger everyday, just remember big things comes in small packages.
legendary
Activity: 3234
Merit: 1214
DGbet.fun - Crypto Sportsbook
February 12, 2016, 03:25:26 PM
#29
Bitcoin when consider physical also it does't have a specific size or weight. It purely based on the creator. According to me The bitcoin can be measured only on its value, if so bitcoin is very very.............very big
newbie
Activity: 40
Merit: 0
February 12, 2016, 03:04:20 PM
#28
Satoshi defined a bitcoin as a chain of digital signatures, so it would have a size.
member
Activity: 73
Merit: 10
February 12, 2016, 06:04:58 AM
#27

analogy:
a bank note is just a piece of special paper.. on its own its useless.. without special words connected to it to validate that it is a bank note... its just paper

This is perfect analogy not just for the "size" discussion but for the whole definition of bitcoin and cryptos itself. Well done, sir!  Grin
full member
Activity: 238
Merit: 100
February 12, 2016, 05:43:48 AM
#26
Bitcoins have no size. What is sizeable is the blockchain, and transactions are the ones who take up space.

Yepyep. This is what actually your miners mine for. Blockchains. And these blockchains we sell for companies who use them.
hero member
Activity: 644
Merit: 500
February 12, 2016, 05:34:06 AM
#25
Hey guys, just as the title says, what is the file size for a bitcoin? Does it vary, depending on what coin, or does the file size stay the same? I'm not talking about the size of a wallet.dat file, as those have other information kept inside. I want to know the size of the pure coin.

Does the coin change size the more it is transacted?
Does the coin's size vary if I compare a bitcoin to a litecoin?
thanks for post this,i never think that bitcoin have a size Grin and now  realize that i must be know about that,and some comment give me info,that the size about 256-bit,so small Grin

It doesn't have any size dude. It classify according to blocks. Its not segregates with coin or other thing.

Its purely independent without any size consideration.
sr. member
Activity: 294
Merit: 250
February 12, 2016, 05:21:17 AM
#24
Hey guys, just as the title says, what is the file size for a bitcoin? Does it vary, depending on what coin, or does the file size stay the same? I'm not talking about the size of a wallet.dat file, as those have other information kept inside. I want to know the size of the pure coin.

Does the coin change size the more it is transacted?
Does the coin's size vary if I compare a bitcoin to a litecoin?
thanks for post this,i never think that bitcoin have a size Grin and now  realize that i must be know about that,and some comment give me info,that the size about 256-bit,so small Grin
legendary
Activity: 1246
Merit: 1000
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February 12, 2016, 04:32:10 AM
#23
To me, the size is 256-bit, the size of the private key. You can do anything to the coin(s) with the key.

Quote
"In Bitcoin, a private key is usually a 256-bit number..." (Bitcoin Wiki)

Danny already gave the best definition of sizes the OP might have been asking about, as he seems to be talking sizes of transactions and not about the private key of any address...

According to me, the size of a coin depends upon how much one sends in a transaction and how much transaction fee is included, as that gets mixed up in a transaction block and those blocks are of different sizes having small and large - both types of transactions and fees...
sr. member
Activity: 552
Merit: 250
February 11, 2016, 11:10:11 PM
#22
To me, the size is 256-bit, the size of the private key. You can do anything to the coin(s) with the key.

Quote
"In Bitcoin, a private key is usually a 256-bit number..." (Bitcoin Wiki)
legendary
Activity: 3472
Merit: 4801
February 11, 2016, 11:08:03 PM
#21
Ok, Danny proved they're pretty small but how much do they weigh? lol

I'll get to work on that for you, but while I'm at it, I was wondering if you'd happen to know how many angels can dance on the point of point of a very fine needle, without jostling one another?
legendary
Activity: 2156
Merit: 1393
You lead and I'll watch you walk away.
February 11, 2016, 10:51:51 PM
#20
Ok, Danny proved they're pretty small but how much do they weigh? lol
legendary
Activity: 3472
Merit: 4801
February 07, 2016, 12:48:45 PM
#19
bitcoin is no size .
I can guarantee that if you've been hitting up faucets and collecting enough Satoshis to add up to one Bitcoin then you would have one very large Bitcoin on the blockchain.

Here is an actual transaction from the blockchain represented in hexadecimal sending 0.099 BTC to 1NScWjpKqfLkAf2q9tMXhansZQRpM5HUS3 and paying a 0.001 BTC fee, for a total of 0.1 BTC spent from the sender's wallet. It is 192 bytes long.  I've color coded each piece of data to match up with my color coded descriptions that follow. Each byte is represented with 2 hexadecimal digits, so the string of numbers and letters below is 384 digits:

You can look at the pieces of the transaction and decide for yourself how big you think "a bitcoin" is.  The 8 bytes that franky1 was talking about are seen in the description below where I state:
  • 8 bytes indicating quantity of satoshis this output supplies to a transaction if it is used as an input in the future (0000000000970fe0)

But you'll also notice that the representation of the 0.01 BTC that is being spent is handled by 36 bytes that refer back to where the output was created, and the new 0.099 BTC output that is created by this transaction doesn't exist unless this entire 192 byte transaction exists.

Quote
000000010174c1ca3b4bdb3e58daaf87774a09495ae5316995e37b05d7aab21c
063c72a0b4
000000076b483045022100e25ca2d2d56e50df86837a865184a1ef3
af0a0a301f3cfaee4a3db5ac237d62c02202d7f914835ac982b31d176e4ca8eb98b
caffa17a7e40a474084bd1b5e0b2e366
012102fb624f78133dae97cf2269a1510f
bfbc0c7e45ce43fc629a7389ec1a7aab4676
fffffffe010000000000970fe01976a914
eb32af5e891a586834b1411511a93747d06ad55f88ac
00060ef2
(Note: Transactions in hex are typically represented in little-endian byte order.  This transaction has been converted to big-endian byte order so that the conversions from hex to decimal won't be as confusing to those that are unfamiliar with the differences between the two representations.)


  • 4 bytes version number (00000001)
  • 1 byte indicating quantity of inputs (01)
  • 32 byte transaction ID indicating where the 0.1 BTC input that is being spent was originally created as an output (74c1ca3b4bdb3e58daaf87774a09495ae5316995e37b05d7aab21c063c72a0b4)
  • 4 byte index indicating which output from that previous transaction is being spent as an input in this transaction (00000007)
  • 1 byte indicating the size of the Txin-script (6b)
  • First byte of Txin-script indicating size of the data to be pushed onto the stack (48)
  • 71 byte DER encoded ECDSA signature (3045022100e25ca2d2d56e50df86837a865184a1ef3af0a0a301f3cfaee4a3db5ac237d62c02202 d7f914835ac982b31d176e4ca8eb98bcaffa17a7e40a474084bd1b5e0b2e366)
    • In this case the DER encoded signature consists of:
    • 1 byte header indicating a compound structure (30)
    • 1 byte indicating the size of the rest of the signature (45)
    • 1 byte indicating that the following data represents an integer (02)
    • 1 byte indicating the size of the following integer (21)
    • 33 byte R coordinate (00e25ca2d2d56e50df86837a865184a1ef3af0a0a301f3cfaee4a3db5ac237d62c)
    • 1 byte indicating that the following data represents an integer (02)
    • 1 byte indicating the size of the following integer (20)
    • 32 byte S coordinate (2d7f914835ac982b31d176e4ca8eb98bcaffa17a7e40a474084bd1b5e0b2e366)
  • 1 byte hashtype code, SIGHASH_ALL (01)
  • 1 byte indicating the size of the data to be pushed onto the stack (21)
  • 33 byte compressed ECDSA public key (02fb624f78133dae97cf2269a1510fbfbc0c7e45ce43fc629a7389ec1a7aab4676)
  • 4 byte sequence number (fffffffe)
  • 1 byte indicating the quantity of outputs (01)
  • 8 bytes indicating quantity of satoshis this output supplies to a transaction if it is used as an input in the future (0000000000970fe0)
  • 1 byte indicating the size of the Txout-script (19)
  • 25 byte Txout-script (76a914eb32af5e891a586834b1411511a93747d06ad55f88ac)
    • In this case the Txout-script data consists of:
    • 1 byte Txout-script OP code, OP_DUP (76)
    • 1 byte Txout-script OP code, OP_HASH160 (a9)
    • 1 byte indicating the size of the public key hash (14)
    • 20 byte public key hash (eb32af5e891a586834b1411511a93747d06ad55f)
    • 1 byte Txout-script OP code, OP_EQUALVERIFY (88)
    • 1 byte Txout-script OP code, OP_CHECKSIG (ac)
  • 4 byte locktime (00060ef2)
sr. member
Activity: 343
Merit: 250
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February 05, 2016, 11:38:32 PM
#18
I think the more sources a coin have the larger it is... So for example a newly mined coin would be much smaller than a coin that has been circulated for years.
donator
Activity: 1617
Merit: 1012
February 05, 2016, 10:39:02 PM
#17
bitcoin is no size .

I can guarantee that if you've been hitting up faucets and collecting enough Satoshis to add up to one Bitcoin then you would have one very large Bitcoin on the blockchain.
full member
Activity: 242
Merit: 100
Blockchain-based Financial Ecosystem
February 05, 2016, 10:07:47 PM
#16
Hey guys, just as the title says, what is the file size for a bitcoin? Does it vary, depending on what coin, or does the file size stay the same? I'm not talking about the size of a wallet.dat file, as those have other information kept inside. I want to know the size of the pure coin.

Does the coin change size the more it is transacted?
Does the coin's size vary if I compare a bitcoin to a litecoin?

bitcoin is no size . bitcoin is only depended on coin not size and we can see bitcoin size  and after coin. how much price increase every day. only we can see
newbie
Activity: 6
Merit: 0
February 05, 2016, 10:01:07 PM
#15
I found this Khan Academy series an excellent overview of blockchain for beginners:

Link to Videos
member
Activity: 98
Merit: 10
February 05, 2016, 08:50:54 PM
#14
Doesn't really have a size. In terms of cash it does. About 300-400 USD right now
legendary
Activity: 2282
Merit: 1041
December 31, 2015, 10:26:56 PM
#13
is the point of this question will result to have a program calculating file size?

Well, perhaps the way to put a size on it is to determine how much does the blockchain grows once a new Bitcoin is generated. The size of that initial transaction that creates the Bitcoin might be considered the "base" size of a Bitcoin.

If all Bitcoins were mined and they were not transferred (just locally to the miner's wallet) blockchain will still have a certain size. If we divided that size by the number of bitcoins... would not that be the (minimum) size of a Bitcoin?

what like 1mb per 25btc block solved..
but thats hard to measure as couple years ago a block gave 50btc and had less than 0.4btc average..
next  year the block limit will increase and the reward will halve..

and if your not going to just calculate the block reward vs the block.. and just wait till 2014 and then divide 21m by the total chain size.. that wont work either as transactions spend the exact same satoshi's many times a year.

the best logical answer is that a satoshi  1 is one byte and bitcoin is 100000000 9 bytes as recognised behind the scenes in the code.. or 10 bytes 1.00000000 as recognised front end in the gui



and you'd have to re-edit the codes every halving.
legendary
Activity: 4424
Merit: 4794
December 31, 2015, 10:14:20 PM
#12
Well, perhaps the way to put a size on it is to determine how much does the blockchain grows once a new Bitcoin is generated. The size of that initial transaction that creates the Bitcoin might be considered the "base" size of a Bitcoin.

If all Bitcoins were mined and they were not transferred (just locally to the miner's wallet) blockchain will still have a certain size. If we divided that size by the number of bitcoins... would not that be the (minimum) size of a Bitcoin?

what like 1mb per 25btc block solved..
but thats hard to measure as couple years ago a block gave 50btc and had less than 0.4btc average..
next  year the block limit will increase and the reward will halve..

and if your not going to just calculate the block reward vs the block.. and just wait till 2014 and then divide 21m by the total chain size.. that wont work either as transactions spend the exact same satoshi's many times a year.

the best logical answer is that a satoshi  1 is one byte and bitcoin is 100000000 9 bytes as recognised behind the scenes in the code.. or 10 bytes 1.00000000 as recognised front end in the gui

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