From 75e193ade4549e9614864605a3f6a55789da90c5 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: nadams Date: Thu, 20 Apr 2017 15:20:29 -0700 Subject: [PATCH] Edited appdx-bitcoinwhitepaper.asciidoc with Atlas code editor --- appdx-bitcoinwhitepaper.asciidoc | 4 +++- 1 file changed, 3 insertions(+), 1 deletion(-) diff --git a/appdx-bitcoinwhitepaper.asciidoc b/appdx-bitcoinwhitepaper.asciidoc index 25f33907..fe147891 100644 --- a/appdx-bitcoinwhitepaper.asciidoc +++ b/appdx-bitcoinwhitepaper.asciidoc @@ -99,7 +99,9 @@ We consider the scenario of an attacker trying to generate an alternate chain fa The race between the honest chain and an attacker chain can be characterized as a Binomial Random Walk. The success event is the honest chain being extended by one block, increasing its lead by +1, and the failure event is the attacker's chain being extended by one block, reducing the gap by -1. -The probability of an attacker catching up from a given deficit is analogous to a Gambler's Ruin problem. Suppose a gambler with unlimited credit starts at a deficit and plays potentially an infinite number of trials to try to reach breakeven. We can calculate the probability he ever reaches breakeven, or that an attacker ever catches up with the honest chain, as follows pass:[[8]]: +++++ +

The probability of an attacker catching up from a given deficit is analogous to a Gambler's Ruin problem. Suppose a gambler with unlimited credit starts at a deficit and plays potentially an infinite number of trials to try to reach breakeven. We can calculate the probability he ever reaches breakeven, or that an attacker ever catches up with the honest chain, as follows [8]:

+++++ p == probability an honest node finds the next block