| Abstract |
Blockchain is an exciting new digital technology that has been controversial over its short existence. In this chapter, we aim to avoid all the hype and controversies around this technology and learn about its historical origin, underlying technology, and how it works. We start this chapter with a brief history of money and ledger, followed by an overview of the socio-technological movement that led to the creation of blockchain. Next, the enabling technologies that made blockchain possible are briefly discussed. Finally, a simple technical explanation is given of how this technology works. An attempt was made to keep the technical concepts as simple as possible and use schematic figures to help explain complex computer science concepts for non-technical readers. |
