Blockchain Technology Fundamentals Flashcards
7 cards from real Cryptocurrency practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 Blockchain Technology Fundamentals flashcards as text
What distinguishes a permissioned blockchain from a public one?
Answer: Participation requires authorization from a governing entity
Permissioned (private or consortium) blockchains restrict who can read, write, or validate, making them suitable for enterprise use cases requiring access control.
What is 'block finality' in blockchain systems?
Answer: The point at which a block is considered irreversible
Finality refers to the guarantee that a confirmed block will not be reverted; some blockchains offer probabilistic finality (Bitcoin) while others offer absolute finality (certain PoS chains).
What is a 'genesis block'?
Answer: The very first block of a blockchain, with no predecessor
The genesis block is block zero (or block one) of a blockchain, hardcoded into the software, and has no previous block hash to reference.
How does hashing ensure data integrity in a blockchain?
Answer: By producing a fixed-length fingerprint that changes if the input changes at all
Cryptographic hash functions are deterministic and avalanche-sensitive, so even a single-bit change in input produces a completely different output, making tampering immediately detectable.
What does 'transaction throughput' (TPS) measure in a blockchain?
Answer: The number of transactions the network can confirm per second
TPS (transactions per second) is a key scalability metric; Bitcoin handles ~7 TPS while Visa processes thousands, driving research into Layer 2 and other scaling solutions.
What is a 'light node' (SPV client) in Bitcoin?
Answer: A client that downloads only block headers to verify payments without the full chain
Simplified Payment Verification clients download block headers and use Merkle proofs to confirm that a transaction is included in a block without storing the entire blockchain.
What is 'chain reorganization' (reorg) in a blockchain?
Answer: When the network switches to a longer competing chain, reversing recent blocks
A reorg occurs when nodes discover a longer valid chain and replace their current tip, rolling back recent transactions — deeper reorgs are exponentially less likely over time.