Can’t someone guess my bitcoin, ether, or other crypto private key? People ask this question all the time! Maybe you’ve even asked it yourself. Most answers are something like, “No, they can’t”. But how do I know they can’t? Why is it so hard to guess a crypto private key? Watch this video where Andreas explains, in plain terms, why it’s basically impossible for someone to just guess the private key to unlock your bitcoin, ethereum, or other cryptocurrency.
Chapters
0:00 Introduction — What is Down the Rabbit Hole?
1:22 Can someone guess my bitcoin, ether, or other crypto asset private key?
2:28 What is a crypto private key?
2:58 A crypto private key is a long number but how long is it exactly?
3:50 What is 2 to the 256?
5:00 Unfathomably big numbers!
8:00 Molecules and sand!
13:00 Eddington
Private keys that control cryptocurrencies are taken from a large number set. A really large number set. So large, in fact, that it’s almost impossible for most of us to understand how large it is. Which makes it hard for us to understand why someone can’t just guess our private key. In this edition of Down the Rabbit Hole Andreas asks himself how a human can visualize the incredible unlikeliness that someone will be able to guess your private key as he combines three of his favorite topics, cryptocurrency, physics, and astronomy! How many grains of sand are there on a beach? How about on planet Earth? How many molecules of silica in the Milky Way? How many crypto private keys are there?
This question is from the October Open Topic Livestream Q&A, which took place on October 24th, 2020. Watch the entire video here: https://youtu.be/maS5xUMZo7E. If you want to ask questions early (before the live event), become a Community Builder on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/aantonop In addition to asking questions early, Patrons get behind-the-scenes content, custom swag, and much more.
About aantonop: Andreas isn’t promoting a company or an organization; he’s paid by the community (people who support this work on Patreon and YouTube) and provides an unbiased look at open blockchain technologies, what they can do for our societies, and how to get involved (if you decide you want to). Learn more at https://aantonop.com
From Andreas: You may already know that my mission is to educate as many people as possible about #Bitcoin and open blockchain technologies. Watching these videos and sharing them with others is a big part of that. Thank you for being part of this mission.
![Can Someone Guess My Crypto Private Key? [From Sand, to Molecules, to the Observable Universe]](https://tv.bit2me.com/wp-content/uploads/can-someone-guess-my-crypto-priv-277x156.jpg)
