Cryptocurrency Free Princeton Course

Intro to Crypto and Cryptocurrencies

1.0 Welcome – 2 mins
1.1 Cryptographic Hash Functions – 18 mins
1.2 Hash Pointers and Data Structures – 8 mins
1.3 Digital Signatures – 9 mins
1.4 Public Keys as Identities – 5 mins
1.5 A Simple Cryptocurrency – 14 mins

How Bitcoin Achieves Decentralization

2.1 Centralization vs. Decentralization – 4 mins
2.2 Distributed Conesensus – 13 mins
2.3 Consensus Without Identity: the Blockchain – 17 mins
2.4 Incentives and Proof of Work – 19 mins
2.5 Putting It All Together – 18 mins

Mechanics of Bitcoin

3.1 Bitcoin Transactions – 11 mins
3.2 Bitcoin Scripts – 15 mins
3.3 Applications of Bitcoin Scripts – 14 mins
3.4 Bitcoin Blocks – 5 mins
3.5 The Bitcoin Network – 18 mins
3.6 Limitations & Improvements – 11 mins

How to Store and Use Bitcoin

4.1 How to Store and Use Bitcoins – 6 mins
4.2 Hot and Cold Storage – 13 mins
4.3 Splitting and Sharing Keys – 11 mins
4.4 Online Wallets and Exchanges – 19 mins
4.5 Payment Services – 8 mins
4.6 Transaction Fees – 5 mins
4.7 Currency Exchange Markets – 16 mins

Bitcoin Mining

5.1 The Task of Bitcoin Miners – 10 mins
5.2 Mining Hardware – 23 mins
5.3 Energy Consumption & Ecology – 14 mins
5.4 Mining Pools – 14 mins
5.5 Mining Incentives and Strategies – 23 mins

Bitcoin and Anonymity

6.1 Anonymity Basics – 26 mins
6.2 How to De-anonymize Bitcoin – 18 mins
6.3 Mixing – 21 mins
6.4 Decentralized Mixing – 14 mins
6.5 Zerocoin and Zerocash – 19 mins
6.6 Tor and the Silk Road – 11 mins

Community, Politics, and Regulation

7.1 Consensus in Bitcoin – 6 mins
7.2 Bitcoin Core Software – 10 mins
7.3 Stakeholders: Who’s in Charge – 9 mins
7.4 Roots of Bitcoin – 9 mins
7.5 Governments Notice Bitcoin – 9 mins
7.6 Anti Money-Laundering – 5 mins
7.7 Regulation – 11 mins
7.8 New York’s BitLicense Proposal – 10 mins

Alternative Mining Puzzles

8.1 Essential Puzzle Requirements – 5 mins
8.2 ASIC Resistant Puzzles – 13 mins
8.3 Proof-of-useful-work – 9 mins
8.4 Nonoutsourceable Puzzles – 7
8.5 Proof-of-Stake “Virtual Mining” – 8 mins

Bitcoin as a Platform

9.1 Bitcoin as an Append-Only Log – 16 mins
9.2 Bitcoin as Smart Property – 16 mins
9.3 Secure Multi-Party Lotteries in Bitcoin – 10 mins
9.4 Bitcoin as Randomness Source – 18 mins
9.5 Prediction Markets & Real-World Data Feeds – 23 mins

Altcoins and the Cryptocurrency Ecosystem

10.1 Short History of Altcoins – 21 mins
10.2 Interaction Between Bitcoin and Altcoins – 15 mins
10.3 Lifecycle of an Altcoin – 15 mins
10.4 Bitcoin-Backed Altcoins, “Side Chains” – 11 mins

The Future of Bitcoin?

11.1 The Blockchain as a Vehicle for Decentralization – 14 mins
11.2 Routes to Blockchain Integration – 28 mins
11.3 What Can We Decentralize? – 24 mins
11.4 When is Decentralization a Good Idea? – 16 mins