Author: Bob McElrath 2016-03-08 22:05:07
Published on: 2016-03-08T22:05:07+00:00
The discussion on the difficulty retargeting of bitcoin has been raised as a question on the Bitcoin-dev mailing list by Dave Hudson. Bob McElrath responded to the question, pointing out that there is an algorithm that hasn't been adopted yet, which he believes needs to be in place - the critically damped harmonic oscillator. The algorithm could be used as a solution for varying hash rates, and it is said to be a zero parameter, optimal damping solution. To determine the first and second derivatives of the hash rate, one can use finite differences or other more advanced methods. The result is a damped harmonic oscillator, which is similar to a car's shock absorber. The damping factor is an exponential decay and for critical damping is twice the oscillation frequency. Weak block proposals will be able to get better approximations to the hash rate. Bob McElrath offered his help if deemed desirable.
Updated on: 2023-06-11T04:19:32.602371+00:00