4 ms·

That equivalence exists in the domain of classical physics. Bitcoin only exists in semiconductor systems: its ineffectiveness stems from the extra logical laye

That equivalence exists in the domain of classical physics. Bitcoin only exists in semiconductor systems: its ineffectiveness stems from the extra logical layer (gates on silicon) which, while based on quantum effects, does not utilize quantum effects directly for calculation.

AaronFriel 6y ago
This sounds like quantum woo. If we had desktop quantum computers, and a computationally hard algorithm on qubits was used for proof of work instead, we would still end up in the same arms race of ever more expensive, ever more power hungry systems do that work. What would happen if Bitcoins work function (the hardness) was made 10 times easier, would miners use 1/10th the power budget? No, they'd just 10x their mining rate. Why? Because other miners have every incentive to do the same. Likewise with a quantum algorithm.
dogma1138 6y ago
Isn’t a perfect computer is also a perfect heater? Quantum or not...
flyinglizard 6y ago
Doesn’t any method by which work is done, in a proof of work system, consume energy?
- eurasiantiger 6y ago
  Locally and classically, yes. But quantum effects demonstrably break locality. Call it quantum woo if you want, but the reality is that we perceive the world top-down and know incredibly little of how our universe actually functions from the bottom up.
birktj 6y ago
Isn't there also a fundamental equivalence between information and energy in physics? And so is there not a lower limit to the amount of energy required to compute a SHA256 hash of a certain number of bytes, and by extension mine a bitcoin block?
- dogma1138 6y ago
  Yes but only for irreversible computation https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Landauer%27s_principle https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Landauer%27s_principle
  - deepnotderp 6y ago
    Even for reversible computation the Margolus-Levitin theorem has been hypothesized
    - dogma1138 6y ago
      Isn’t the Margolus Levitin theorem slightly different? As in while it puts the maximum bound of amount of computation per J it doesn’t enforces a requirement that the entropy increase needs to be through a non-information degree of freedom as in heat.

AaronFriel 6y ago

This sounds like quantum woo. If we had desktop quantum computers, and a computationally hard algorithm on qubits was used for proof of work instead, we would still end up in the same arms race of ever more expensive, ever more power hungry systems do that work. What would happen if Bitcoins work function (the hardness) was made 10 times easier, would miners use 1/10th the power budget? No, they'd just 10x their mining rate. Why? Because other miners have every incentive to do the same. Likewise with a quantum algorithm.

dogma1138 6y ago

Isn’t a perfect computer is also a perfect heater? Quantum or not...

flyinglizard 6y ago

Doesn’t any method by which work is done, in a proof of work system, consume energy?

eurasiantiger 6y ago
Locally and classically, yes. But quantum effects demonstrably break locality. Call it quantum woo if you want, but the reality is that we perceive the world top-down and know incredibly little of how our universe actually functions from the bottom up.

birktj 6y ago

Isn't there also a fundamental equivalence between information and energy in physics? And so is there not a lower limit to the amount of energy required to compute a SHA256 hash of a certain number of bytes, and by extension mine a bitcoin block?

dogma1138 6y ago
Yes but only for irreversible computation https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Landauer%27s_principle https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Landauer%27s_principle
- deepnotderp 6y ago
  Even for reversible computation the Margolus-Levitin theorem has been hypothesized
  - dogma1138 6y ago
    Isn’t the Margolus Levitin theorem slightly different? As in while it puts the maximum bound of amount of computation per J it doesn’t enforces a requirement that the entropy increase needs to be through a non-information degree of freedom as in heat.