Mining Shares vs Bitcoin Blocks addresses why pool shares are not blockchain blocks by concentrating on three concrete elements: lower share target, work accounting and valid block discovery.
Pool statistics describe submitted work and payment rules; blockchain statistics describe accepted blocks and network consensus. Confusing these layers leads to incorrect conclusions about shares and rewards.
Lower Share Target
Define lower share target before comparing it with work accounting. Identify the unit or rule behind lower share target, capture a dated value where one exists, and state whether the value is measured, calculated or supplied by another party. That distinction determines how confidently lower share target can support the article’s conclusion.
- Evidence: a dated record for lower share target.
- Cross-check: compare it with work accounting.
- Review trigger: repeat the check after a material change affecting lower share target.
Work Accounting
The role of work accounting is best understood through a controlled comparison. Hold unrelated inputs constant, change one relevant condition and observe the response. Then check whether valid block discovery moved in the expected direction. A mismatch is a prompt to inspect the model, not to hide the data.
- Evidence: a dated record for work accounting.
- Cross-check: compare it with valid block discovery.
- Review trigger: repeat the check after a material change affecting work accounting.
Valid Block Discovery
Normalize valid block discovery before using it in a table or calculation. Convert units, align the time period and retain the original value. If lower share target comes from a different source, document that source separately so readers can reproduce both sides of the comparison.
- Evidence: a dated record for valid block discovery.
- Cross-check: compare it with lower share target.
- Review trigger: repeat the check after a material change affecting valid block discovery.
Why pool shares are not blockchain blocks: evaluation sequence
- Write the exact decision involving lower share target.
- Collect work accounting using the same observation period.
- Test how the conclusion changes when valid block discovery moves.
- Save the source values, conversions and date of review.
Reference for Pools and Network
Verify the underlying context with Bitcoin Developer Guide: pooled mining. For values that change over time, use a current source and record its retrieval date.
