Ethereum: What is the approximate hashrate of a human?
The Ethereum network relies on a complex cryptographic system to secure transactions and control the creation of new units. At the heart of this system lies the concept of hashes, which are used to create unique digital fingerprints for every transaction, block, and smart contract. But how fast can humans calculate these hashes?
Hash Rates and Mathematical Operations
To understand what we’re talking about, let’s dive into some mathematical terms.
- Hash rate: This refers to the number of hash operations a computer can perform per second.
- Mathematical operations required for blockheader-to-blockhash: In Ethereum, each block header contains a set of mathematical instructions that are executed by the network. These instructions include:
+ Verifying the transactions in the block
+ Calculating the block’s timestamp and hash
+ Creating a unique digital signature (using a secret key)
+ Adding new blocks to the blockchain
- Approximate hashrate: The estimated time it would take for a human to perform these mathematical operations is approximately 1,000 to 2,000 times slower than a modern computer.
How Fast Can Humans Calculate Hashes?
To put this into perspective:
- A professional cryptographer might spend several days or weeks on a single block, with an estimated time of around 10-20 hours.
- A skilled programmer with a decent internet connection can perform the mathematical operations in a matter of milliseconds (e.g., less than 1 second).
- Even a moderately fast computer would take thousands to tens of thousands of years to complete a single block.
How Fast Are Humans Compared to Supercomputers?
To give you an idea of just how slow humans are compared to supercomputers, consider this:
- A high-performance computing cluster can perform around 1-2 exaflops (a million billion calculations per second).
- In contrast, a modern computer’s average processing speed is in the range of tens or hundreds of gigahertz (gHz). For example:
+ Intel Core i9 processor: up to 5.3 GHz
+ NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3090 graphics card: around 1.7 GHz
Conclusion
Ethereum’s hashrate and mathematical operations are complex tasks that demand significant computational power. While humans can perform these calculations with relative ease, we still fall far short of the computational speeds available on modern supercomputers.
As the Ethereum network continues to grow and improve, it’s essential to consider the potential implications for cryptography, security, and scalability. Perhaps one day, we’ll see the development of more efficient algorithms or alternative cryptographic techniques that can overcome some of these limitations. However, for now, humans will continue to play a vital role in maintaining the integrity and security of the Ethereum network.