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> You don’t need most to agree. Just the basic majority (50%+). This is a common misconception about how consensus works. Everyone on the network has to agree,
by everfree 6y ago
> You don’t need most to agree. Just the basic majority (50%+).
This is a common misconception about how consensus works. Everyone on the network has to agree, anyone who doesn't agree by definition won't be on the same network. They won't be able to receive the same fork of bitcoin that everyone else is sending.
- glitchc 6y agoOn the contrary: Consensus is defined precisely at 50%+, not 100% as you imply. In Bitcoin, the longest chain wins, therefore any chain with 50%+ support of the total mining power will inevitably end up with the longest chain. Forks are occurring all the time at the apex of the chain. They wither and die slowly as 50%+ miners accept successive blocks as the next block. That’s why most exchanges and users wait for six blocks on average to deem the transaction settled.