Blockchain Cryptography: ECC, Hashing, and Consensus
Elliptic Curve Cryptography (ECC) in Blockchain
Elliptic Curve Cryptography (ECC) is a public-key cryptography technique based on the mathematics of elliptic curves over finite fields. It is widely used in blockchain systems such as Bitcoin and Ethereum for generating secure public-private key pairs and digital signatures. The main advantage of ECC is that it provides high security with smaller key sizes, making it faster and more efficient.
The Mathematical Equation of ECC
The general equation of an elliptic curve is:
y2 = x3 + ax + b
- a and b are constants that define the shape of the curve.
- The curve is defined over a finite field Fₚ (where p is a prime number) for cryptographic applications.
- To be a valid elliptic curve, it must satisfy the condition:
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