If addresses are actually generated using a truly random source, the probability of hitting an address already in use is orders of magnitude smaller than the risk of life on earth being eradicated by an asteroid impact. You can safely ignore that risk.
However, when addresses are generated from "random" passphrases there is a nontrivial risk of collision. If you use "correct horse battery staple" as a passphrase, you might think that you're really clever, but you're certainly wrong...
Onkel Paul
Topic: What guarantees that no two address are ever the same ? - page 2. (Read 2303 times)
Obligatory DSV reference... (The thread is probably more fascinating than the actual app)
https://bitcointalksearch.org/topic/2256-deep-space-vagabond-107172
https://bitcointalksearch.org/topic/2256-deep-space-vagabond-107172
nothing, but there are more addresses than there are grains of sand.. something like 1 in a 1000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000 chance of it happening every time someone creates a wallet.
exactly. it can happen. but it never will ..............
its a bit like "Schrödinger's cat" - there is a chance of an object moving randomly to another (very nearby) place in the universe. But as the object becomes larger and larger, the probability decreases (due to planck's constant). For an object just a few cms across, the probability is so small that it will take much longer than the life of the universe for it to happen. Hence it never has and never will because the universe will die first. As objects get smaller and smaller, down to electron size, they do indeed "move" around.
Similarly, bitcoin addresses are sufficiently large that the chances of them ever being generated "the same" are sufficiently small that it just isn't worth worrying about.
Some mathematician can chime in with the actual probability that two randomly generated addresses will be the same
nothing, but there are more addresses than there are grains of sand.. something like 1 in a 1000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000 chance of it happening every time someone creates a wallet.
I was layin down trying to sleep and this question hit me and I wanted to ask before I forgot.
For the people who make their paper wallets etc. offline with a computer thats never connected to the internet. What guarantees that say a million, hell 10 million, people with the same setup that two of them never end up with the same generated address. I know alot of you will say it's likely to never happen because of the length of the addresses and the randomness of them, but hey, under the right set of circumstances... anything is possible even though the Mythbusters would otherwise disagree since if they cant reproduce anything then its well, busted.
For the people who make their paper wallets etc. offline with a computer thats never connected to the internet. What guarantees that say a million, hell 10 million, people with the same setup that two of them never end up with the same generated address. I know alot of you will say it's likely to never happen because of the length of the addresses and the randomness of them, but hey, under the right set of circumstances... anything is possible even though the Mythbusters would otherwise disagree since if they cant reproduce anything then its well, busted.
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