Bitcoin and Cryptocurrencies

Name: Bitcoin and Cryptocurrencies
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Author: Berkeley

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Course

English

Subtitles available

18 h

Source

From www.edx.org

More info

6 Sequences
Introductive Level
Subtitles in English
Starts on September 14, 2022
Ends on March 14, 2023

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Course details

Syllabus

Bitcoin Protocol & Consensus: A High Level Overview

We begin with some fundamental concepts such as the basic properties and intent of centralized/decentralized currency. We then build an in-depth understanding of Bitcoin from the ground up, divided into four stages: Identity, Transactions, Record Keeping, and Consensus.

Blockchain History: From the Cypherpunk Movement to JP Morgan Chase

This module delves into the origins and historical significance of Bitcoin. We look into the roots of Bitcoin in the Cypherpunk movement and Libertarian ideals, and examine the revolutionary significance of Bitcoin as opposed to some of its early predecessors. We then move onto exploring the history of the crypto space as a whole.

Bitcoin Mechanics & Optimizations: A Technical Overview

We examine the in-depth mechanics behind Bitcoin, such as the Bitcoin network, cryptography and cryptographic hash functions, Bitcoin Script, privacy, and hash commitment schemes.

Bitcoin In Real Life: Wallets, Mining, and More

We examine the most frequently used real world aspects of Bitcoin, such as wallets, wallet mechanics, mining, transactions, and Bitcoin governance. We explain the various ways one can interface with the Bitcoin network, depending on the specific software they run.

Game Theory & Network Attacks: How to Destroy Bitcoin

We look into how to destroy Bitcoin, including various network attacks. Specifically, we look into vulnerabilities such as pool cannibalization, double spending and forking attacks, network attacks, the Goldfinger attack, malicious mining profit strategies, and 51% attacks.

Ethereum & Smart Contracts: Enabling a Decentralized Future

This module focuses on the properties behind the second largest blockchain platform, Ethereum. We introduce the Ethereum Virtual Machine and the idea of Turing completeness, and examine some of the key protocol differences between Bitcoin and Ethereum, such as the UTXO vs. accounts model and functionality. We then look into some of the use cases of Ethereum, and conclude with an overview of smart contracts and building decentralized applications. Having spent the last modules primarily on cryptocurrencies, this module encourages students to think about blockchain use cases outside of cryptocurrency.

Prerequisite

This course has no formal prerequisites. However, cryptocurrency and blockchain are technical in nature, so coming into the course with knowledge of computer science or cryptography will be helpful.

Instructors

Rustie Lin
Blockchain at Berkeley edX Lead, Instructor
University of California, Berkeley

Mengyi (Gloria) Wang
Blockchain at Berkeley edX Instructor
University of California, Berkeley

Editor

The University of California, Berkeley was chartered in 1868, and its flagship campus — envisioned as a "City of Learning" — was established at Berkeley, on San Francisco Bay. Berkeley faculty consists of 1,582 full-time and 500 part-time faculty members dispersed among more than 130 academic departments and more than 80 interdisciplinary research units. Berkeley alumni have received 28 Nobel prizes, and there are eight Nobel Laureates, 32 MacArthur Fellows, and four Pulitzer Prize winners among the current faculty.

In September 2012, to mark Berkeley's commitment to innovation in teaching and learning, The Berkeley Resource Center for Online Education (BRCOE) was formed. The Center is a resource hub and an operational catalyst for all internal campus-wide and external resources to advise, coordinate, and facilitate the University’s online education initiatives, ranging from credit and non-credit courses, to online degree programs and MOOC projects, including the MOOCLab initiative.

Platform

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