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But how does bitcoin actually work?

3Blue1Brown · 18.1M views · 2017-07-07 · 25:16

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Overview

3Blue1Brown explains the math and mechanics behind Bitcoin visually: ledgers, digital signatures, proof of work and the blockchain, building up a decentralized payment system from first principles.

On Hacker News

The go-to recommended video for newcomers wanting a clear, visual explanation of how Bitcoin and blockchains work.

Recommended by 15 HN people across 11 months · HN mentions 2017–2024

Topics

CryptographyRecreational & visual math
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bitcoinblockchainproof of workmining

What people said

RichardCA · 2024-06 · Strong recommendation

> As someone that works in the crypto industry, I feel this every time I see the news or articles report on it, or comments here talking about it. It was the same way during the 90's Dot-Com era, journalists would explain the World Wide Web with word salad, e.g., the "Graphical portion of the Internet". With regard to Crypto, I decline to discuss it without mentioning the 3Blue1Brown video, sometimes the gambit works and triggers a better discussion: [VIDEO] And I love the comments in that video about being "Confused, but on a higher level".

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gnarbarian · 2017-11 · Strong recommendation

this video is the best explanation for how mining and blockchains work IMO: [VIDEO] It's long but very clear and thorough.

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ahussain · 2017-10 · Strong recommendation

The best explanation of blockchain has to be (unsurprisingly) 3Blue1Brown: [VIDEO] Would highly recommend watching this video for anyone who hasn't already.

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Sources

Video by 3Blue1Brown, played through YouTube.

Data and selection notes

HN summaries and labels may contain AI errors. HN dates refer to discussions, not video publication.

HN Library: HackerTube export (2026-10-31) and open-index/hacker-news. Upstream summaries and classifications may contain AI errors.

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