CS 4970
Cryptocurrency
Aaron Bloomfield (aaron@virginia.edu)
@github | ↑ | 
Daily Announcements
Spring 2025
Final Exam
The End
- BTC:
$92,860; ETH:$1,747; ETH gas: 0.565 gwei =>$0.02 @ 2025-04-28 13:30:14- Let's see how our silly ape NFT is doing!
- Homeworks
- HW P10: Arbitrage was due Tuesday; how was it?
- HW P11: Metamask is out and ready
- Grading: lots of progress to be made over the next week or so
- Regrade concern on the homeworks? Email the course email
- Office schedule is on the Canvas landing page
- Mine are M 10-11:30 and W 1:30-3 in Rice 402 (note the change)
- TAs are Mon 1-5:30, Tue 12-3 and 4-5:30, Wed 10-12, and Thu 1-3, all in Rice 442
- Office hours will continue through the end of the week; beyond that will be posted on Piazza
- Interested in TA'ing next time? Come chat with me!
- Final exam: Friday, May 9th, from 9am to noon
- There will be a practical component -- bring a laptop that you have run HWs S4 and S5 on
- It will start as written; it will be clear when to switch to the computer
- Today we will finish ethics and the course conclusion
From hereLecture 28: Thu, April 24th
- BTC:
$91,962; ETH:$1,746; ETH gas: 0.543 gwei =>$0.02 @ 2025-04-23 21:07:15- Let's see how our silly ape NFT is doing!
- Homeworks
- HW P10: Arbitrage was due Tuesday; how was it?
- DEXes all deployed; info on the Canvas landing page
- HW P11: Metamask is out and ready
- HW P10: Arbitrage was due Tuesday; how was it?
- Grading: lots of progress to be made over the next week or so
- Regrade concern on the homeworks? Email the course email
- Office schedule is on the Canvas landing page
- Mine are M 10-11:30 and W 1:30-3 in Rice 402 (note the change)
- TAs are Mon 1-5:30, Tue 12-3 and 4-5:30, Wed 10-12, and Thu 1-3, all in Rice 442
- Today we will finish The Dark Side of Cryptocurrency
- Next up: ethics or zero-knowledge proofs
From twitterLecture 27: Tue, April 22nd
- BTC:
$84,674; ETH:$1,566; ETH gas: 0.437 gwei =>$0.01 @ 2025-04-21 16:36:54- Let's see how our silly ape NFT is doing!
- Homeworks
- HW P10: Arbitrage is due today (April 22nd)
- DEXes all deployed; info on the Canvas landing page
- Don't wait for the last minute on this one. Oh, wait...
- HW P11: Metamask will be released in a day or two
- HW P10: Arbitrage is due today (April 22nd)
- Grading: HWs P5 (gradebook) and P6 (tokens) have been returned
- We are investigating an issue where text-based NFT IDs cause a loss of points -- more on this later
- HW P7 (auction) is mostly (?) graded
- Quiz 1 (BTC) is graded, but can't be returned just yet
- Quiz 2 (ETH) is being graded
- Regrade concern on the homeworks? Email the course email
- Office schedule is on the Canvas landing page
- Mine are M 10-11:30 and W 1:30-3 in Rice 402 (note the change)
- TAs are Mon 1-5:30, Tue 12-3 and 4-5:30, Wed 10-12, and Thu 1-3, all in Rice 442
- Today we will finish Scalability
- Next up: The Dark Side of Cryptocurrency
From hereLecture 26: Thu, April 17th
- BTC:
$83,154; ETH:$1,540; ETH gas: 0.347 gwei =>$0.01 @ 2025-04-16 23:53:11- Let's see how our silly ape NFT is doing!
- Homeworks
- HW P9: DAO&web3 was due Tuesday -- how was it?
- HW P10: Arbitrage is ready, and due next Tuesday (April 22nd)
- DEXes all deployed; info on the Canvas landing page
- Don't wait for the last minute on this one
- Grading: HWs P5 (gradebook) and P6 (tokens) have been returned
- We are investigating an issue where text-based NFT IDs cause a loss of points -- more on this later
- HW P7 (auction) is mostly (?) graded
- Quiz 1 (BTC) is graded, but can't be returned just yet
- Quiz 2 (ETH) is being graded
- Regrade concern on the homeworks? Email the course email
- Office schedule is on the Canvas landing page
- Mine are M 10-11:30 and W 1:30-3 in Rice 402 (note the change)
- TAs are Mon 1-5:30, Tue 12-3 and 4-5:30, Wed 10-12, and Thu 1-3, all in Rice 442
- Today we will continue with Scalability
From hereLecture 25: Tue, April 15th
- BTC:
$83,743; ETH:$1,609; ETH gas: 0.402 gwei =>$0.01 @ 2025-04-14 23:25:51- Let's see how our silly ape NFT is doing!
- Homeworks
- HW P9: DAO&web3 is out, and due today (April 15th)
- CS server accounts all created; if you have problems accessing yours, first try a password reset, then -- if that doesn't work -- get in touch
- HW P10: Arbitrage is ready, and due next Tuesday (April 22nd)
- Contract deployment details to be posted soon
- Don't wait for the last minute on this one
- HW P9: DAO&web3 is out, and due today (April 15th)
- Grading: HWs P5 (gradebook) and P6 (tokens) have been returned
- We are investigating an issue where text-based NFT IDs cause a loss of points -- more on this later
- HW P7 (auction) is mostly (?) graded
- Quiz 1 (BTC) is graded, but can't be returned just yet
- Quiz 2 (ETH) is being graded
- Regrade concern on the homeworks? Email the course email
- Office schedule is on the Canvas landing page
- Mine are M 10-11:30 and W 1:30-3 in Rice 402 (note the change)
- TAs are Mon 1-5:30, Tue 12-3 and 4-5:30, Wed 10-12, and Thu 1-3, all in Rice 442
- Today we will continue with Stablecoins
- Next up: Scalability
From hereLecture 24: Thu, April 10th
- BTC:
$75,754; ETH:$1,440; ETH gas: 0.579 gwei =>$0.02 @ 2025-04-10 07:32:56- Let's see how our silly ape NFT is doing!
- Homeworks
- HW P8: DEX: how did it go?
- HW P9: DAO&web3 is out, and due Tuesday (April 15th)
- CS server accounts all created; if you have problems accessing yours, first try a password reset, then -- if that doesn't work -- get in touch
- Grading: HWs P5 (gradebook) and P6 (tokens) have been returned
- We are investigating an issue where text-based NFT IDs cause a loss of points -- more on this later
- HW P7 (auction) is mostly (?) graded
- Quiz 1 (BTC) is graded, but can't be returned just yet
- Quiz 2 (ETH) is being graded
- Regrade concern on the homeworks? Email the course email
- Office schedule is on the Canvas landing page
- Mine are M 10-11:30 and W 1:30-3 in Rice 402 (note the change)
- TAs are Mon 1-5:30, Tue 12-3 and 4-5:30, Wed 10-12, and Thu 1-3, all in Rice 442
- Readings:
- Due today, April 10: listen to the Radiolab: The Ceremony episode from Feb 25, 2021 (47 min); see the Canvas landing page for where to get it (for free)
- Today we will start on Stablecoins
From hereLecture 23: Tue, April 8th
- BTC:
$74,436; ETH:$1,415; ETH gas: 1.089 gwei =>$0.03 @ 2025-04-07 18:06:14- Let's see how our silly ape NFT is doing!
- Homeworks
- HW P8: DEX is out and due today
- HW P9: DAO&web3 is ready, and due next Tuesday (April 15th)
- ... but the CS server accounts are pending
- Grading: HWs P5 (gradebook) and P6 (tokens) returned this past weekend
- HW P7 (auction) should be back late this week
- Quiz 1 (BTC) is graded, but can't be returned just yet
- Quiz 2 (ETH) not yet graded
- Regrade concern on the homeworks? Email the course email
- Office schedule is on the Canvas landing page
- Mine are M 10-11:30 and W 1:30-3 in Rice 402 (note the change)
- TAs are Mon 1-5:30, Tue 12-3 and 4-5:30, Wed 10-12, and Thu 1-3, all in Rice 442
- Readings:
- Due this Thursday, April 10: listen to the Radiolab: The Ceremony episode from Feb 25, 2021 (47 min); see the Canvas landing page for where to get it (for free)
- Today we will continue Consensus
- Next up: Stablecoins
From hereLecture 22: Thu, April 3rd
- BTC:
$82,343; ETH:$1,783; ETH gas: 0.617 gwei =>$0.02 @ 2025-04-02 19:52:01- Let's see how our silly ape NFT is doing!
- Homeworks
- HW P7: Auction: how did it go?
- HW P8: DEX is out and due Tuesday (April 8th)
- Grading: HWs P1 (intro), P2 (ecdsa), and P3 (btcparser) have been returned
- Quiz 1 (BTC) is graded, but can't be returned just yet
- Quiz 2 (ETH) not yet graded
- Regrade concern on the homeworks? Email the course email
- Office schedule is on the Canvas landing page
- Mine are M 10-11:30 and W 1:30-3 in Rice 402 (note the change)
- TAs are Mon 1-5:30, Tue 12-3 and 4-5:30, Wed 10-12, and Thu 1-3, all in Rice 442
- Readings:
- Due Thu, April 10: listen to the Radiolab: The Ceremony episode from Feb 25, 2021 (47 min); see the Canvas landing page for where to get it (for free)
- Today we will finish Blockchain Applications
- Then onto Consensus
From hereLecture 21: Tue, April 1st
- BTC:
$81,314; ETH:$1,778; ETH gas: 0.573 gwei =>$0.02 @ 2025-03-31 23:29:22- Let's see how our silly ape NFT is doing!
- Homeworks
- HW P7: Auction is due today
- HW P8: DEX is out and due next Tuesday (April 8th)
- The course-wide contracts will be deployed in a day or two
- Grading: HWs P1 (intro), P2 (ecdsa), and P3 (btcparser) have been returned
- Quiz 1 (BTC) is graded, but can't be returned just yet
- Quiz 2 (ETH) not yet graded
- Regrade concern on the homeworks? Email the course email
- Office schedule is on the Canvas landing page
- Mine are M 10-11:30 and W 1:30-3 in Rice 402 (note the change)
- TAs are Mon 1-5:30, Tue 12-3 and 4-5:30, Wed 10-12, and Thu 1-3, all in Rice 442
- Today we will continue with Blockchain Applications
- Then onto Consensus
From redditLecture 20: Thu, Mar 27th
- BTC:
$85,861; ETH:$1,982; ETH gas: 0.402 gwei =>$0.02 @ 2025-03-26 22:37:19- Let's see how our silly ape NFT is doing!
- Midterm: average was 72.2%
- There will likely be a curve, likely around 10%
- Regrades open until this weekend
- Homeworks
- HW P6: Tokens was due yesterday -- how did it go?
- We'll look at the NFTs and TCC coins today
- A few TCC images need fixing -- I'll email about that (no grade penalty if fixed soon)
- HW P7: Auction is out and due next Tuesday (April 1st)
- HW P6: Tokens was due yesterday -- how did it go?
- Grading: HWs P1 (intro), P2 (ecdsa), and P3 (btcparser) have been returned
- Quiz 1 (BTC) is graded, but can't be returned just yet
- Quiz 2 (ETH) not yet graded
- Regrade concern on the homeworks? Email the course email
- Office schedule is on the Canvas landing page
- Mine are M 10-11:30 and W 1:30-3 in Rice 402 (note the change)
- No OH for me on Monday
- TAs are Mon 1-5:30, Tue 12-3 and 4-5:30, Wed 10-12, and Thu 1-3, all in Rice 442
- Mine are M 10-11:30 and W 1:30-3 in Rice 402 (note the change)
- Today we will finish Mining, starting on 8.1
- Then we'll finish Ethereum, starting on 3.31
- Then we'll start on Blockchain Applications
From hereLecture 19: Tue, Mar 25th
- BTC:
$86,461; ETH:$2,013; ETH gas: 0.713 gwei =>$0.03 @ 2025-03-24 23:39:45- Let's see how our silly ape NFT is doing!
- Midterm: average was 72.2%
- There will likely be a curve, likely around 10%
- Regrades open for about a week
- Homeworks
- HW P6: Tokens is ready, and due this Wednesday
- We'll look at the NFTs and TCC coins on Thursday
- HW P7: Auction (not yet ready) is due next Tuesday
- HW P6: Tokens is ready, and due this Wednesday
- Grading: HWs P1 (intro), P2 (ecdsa), and P3 (btcparser) have been returned
- Quiz 1 (BTC) is graded, but can't be returned just yet
- Quiz 2 (ETH) not yet graded
- Regrade concern on the homeworks? Email the course email
- Office schedule is on the Canvas landing page
- Mine are M 10-11:30 and W 1:30-3 in Rice 402 (note the change)
- TAs are Mon 1-5:30, Tue 12-3 and 4-5:30, Wed 10-12, and Thu 1-3, all in Rice 442
- Today we will go back to Mining, starting on 5.11
- Next up: Blockchain Applications
- We'll return later to Ethereum, starting on 3.31, later
From twitterLecture 18: Thu, Mar 20th
- BTC:
$82,752; ETH:$1,930; ETH gas: 0.407 gwei =>$0.02 @ 2025-03-19 23:24:26 - Midterm: average was 72.2%
- There will likely be a curve, likely around 10%
- We'll go over it today, at which point regrades will open
- Homeworks
- HW P5: Gradebook is due today
- HW P6: Tokens is ready, and due next Wednesday
- Then back to Tuesday due dates
- Grading: HWs P1 (intro), P2 (ecdsa), and P3 (btcparser) have been returned
- Quiz 1 (BTC) is graded, but can't be returned just yet
- Quiz 2 (ETH) not yet graded
- Regrade concern on the homeworks? Email the course email
- Office schedule is on the Canvas landing page
- Mine are M 10-11:30 and W 1:30-3 in Rice 402 (note the change)
- TAs are Mon 1-5:30, Tue 12-3 and 4-5:30, Wed 10-12, and Thu 1-3, all in Rice 442
- None over spring break
- Today we will continue with Tokens
- Next up: Blockchain Applications
- We'll return later to Ethereum & Mining
From here
Lecture 17: Tue, Mar 18th
- BTC:
$82,492; ETH:$1,880; ETH gas: 0.443 gwei =>$0.02 @ 2025-03-18 00:11:37 - Midterm:
- Grades returned, average was 72.2%
- There will likely be a curve, likely around 10%
- We'll go over it Thursday, at which point regrades will open
- Homeworks
- HW P5: Gradebook is due Thursday of this week
- HW P6: Tokens (not yet ready) will be due Wednesday of next week
- Then back to Tuesday due dates
- Grading: HWs P1 (intro), P2 (ecdsa), and P3 (btcparser) have been returned
- Quiz 1 (BTC) is graded, but can't be returned just yet
- Quiz 2 (ETH) not yet graded
- Regrade concern on the homeworks? Email the course email
- Office schedule is on the Canvas landing page
- Mine are M 10-11:30 and W 1:30-3 in Rice 402 (note the change)
- TAs are Mon 1-5:30, Tue 12-3 and 4-5:30, Wed 10-12, and Thu 1-3, all in Rice 442
- None over spring break
- Today we will start Tokens
From here
Lecture 16: Thu, Mar 6th
- BTC:
$86,746; ETH:$2,159; ETH gas: 0.641 gwei =>$0.03 @ 2025-03-05 22:13:07 - Homeworks
- HW P4: BTC scripting: postponed until further notice
- HW S5: dApp Introduction is out and due at the start of today's class
- Only 12 hours of lateness allowed on this! And the late penalties are different
- HW P5: Gradebook is ready to go, but the course-wide gradebook is not yet deployed
- Grading: HWs P1 (intro), P2 (ecdsa), and P3 (btcparser) have been returned
- Quiz 1 is graded, but can't be returned just yet
- Regrade concern on the homeworks? Email the course email
- Office schedule is on the Canvas landing page
- Mine are M 10-11:30 and W 1:30-3 in Rice 402 (note the change)
- TAs are Mon 1-5:30, Tue 12-3 and 4-5:30, Wed 10-12, and Thu 1-3, all in Rice 442
- None over spring break
- Midterm last Thursday: we'll go over it after spring break, once it's returned
- Today is an in-class exercise
- If you are using a different eth.coinbase than you used in either S4 or S5, email me -- right now -- with your eth.coinbase, else I can't give you credit
- Updated upcoming schedule on the next slide
- Today we will finish Solidity
Upcoming schedule
- This week (week of Monday, March 3rd)
- Due Thursday: HW S5 (dApp introduction) due (unclear which day of the week as of yet)
- Due Monday: HW S4: private Ethereum blockchain (NOT YET READY) due Friday, Feb 28th
- It's a quick tutorial, not a full homework -- and will be able to be completed well ahead of time
- Week of Monday, March 10th: spring break (really)
- The following 7 weeks will have homeworks P5 through P11 due on Tuesday evenings
- HW P11 is due Tuesday, April 29th, which is the last day of classes
- Final exam is Friday, May 9th (the last day of final exams)
From hereLecture 15: Tue, Mar 4th
- BTC:
$82,467; ETH:$2,004; ETH gas: 1.148 gwei =>$0.05 @ 2025-03-03 22:28:11 - Homeworks
- HW P4: BTC scripting: postponed until further notice
- HW S4: Private Ethernet Blockchain was due yesterday; how did it go?
- HW S5: dApp Introduction is out and due this THURSDAY at the start of class
- Only 12 hours of lateness allowed on this! And the late penalties are different
- Grading: HWs P1 (intro), P2 (ecdsa), and P3 (btcparser) have been returned
- Quiz 1 is graded, but can't be returned just yet
- Regrade concern on the homeworks? Email the course email
- Office schedule is on the Canvas landing page
- Mine are M 10-11:30 and W 1:30-3 in Rice 402 (note the change)
- TAs are Mon 1-5:30, Tue 12-3 and 4-5:30, Wed 10-12, and Thu 1-3, all in Rice 442
- Midterm last Thursday: how was it? We'll go over it once it's been returned
- This Thursday will be an in-class exercise
- Everybody has to bring their computers with S4 & S5 run on them
- This cannot be made up!
- Updated upcoming schedule on the next slide
- Today we will continue with Solidity, returning later to Ethereum & Mining
Upcoming schedule
- This week (week of Monday, March 3rd)
- Due Thursday: HW S5 (dApp introduction) due (unclear which day of the week as of yet)
- Due Monday: HW S4: private Ethereum blockchain (NOT YET READY) due Friday, Feb 28th
- It's a quick tutorial, not a full homework -- and will be able to be completed well ahead of time
- Week of Monday, March 10th: spring break (really)
- The following 7 weeks will have homeworks P5 through P11 due on Tuesday evenings
- HW P11 is due Tuesday, April 29th, which is the last day of classes
- Final exam is Friday, May 9th (the last day of final exams)
Students
Lecture 14: Thu, Feb 27th
- Today was the midterm
From here
Lecture 13: Tue, Feb 25th
- There was no class held today because of the shelter-in-place order
- There was a video to watch instead, though
Lecture 13: Tue, Feb 25th
- BTC:
$90,924; ETH:$2,461; ETH gas: 0.884 gwei =>$0.05 @ 2025-02-24 20:58:44 - Homeworks
- HW P4: BTC scripting
- It is postponed until either blockcypher starts working or I can rewrite it
- Any existing extension requests will be removed -- if/when it is due, you can resubmit an extension request if you need one
- HW S4: Private Ethernet Blockchain is out and ready; due on Monday
- HW S5: dApp Introduction will be ready in a few days, due next Wednesday
- HW P4: BTC scripting
- Grading
- HWs P1 (intro), P2 (ecdsa), and P3 (btcparser) have been returned
- Sorry about the delay in getting them back!
- Quiz 1 is graded, but can't be returned just yet
- Regrade concern on the homeworks? Email the course email
- HWs P1 (intro), P2 (ecdsa), and P3 (btcparser) have been returned
- Office schedule is on the Canvas landing page
- Mine are M 10-11:30 and W 1:30-3 in Rice 402 (note the change)
- TAs are Mon 1-5:30, Tue 12-3 and 4-5:30, Wed 10-12, and Thu 1-3, all in Rice 442
- No TA OH this Thursday and Friday! And none for me tomorrow.
Lecture 13: Tue, Feb 25th
- Midterm Thursday
- Two TAs will be proctoring it
- You can see past midterms in the github repo
- Reading
- HW S3: Read the Ethereum whitepaper
- This will be an additional page on the exam
- There are TWO versions floating around -- please read the version in Canvas' Files
- You should skip (or quickly browse) some parts of the first 3 sub-parts of the ‘History’ section (‘Bitcoin’, ‘Mining’, and ‘Merkle Trees’) and the 'Notes and Further Reading' section at the end; what’s left is about 30 pages (of large and widely-spaced text) in the PDF to read
- HW S3: Read the Ethereum whitepaper
- Next Thursday will be an in-class exercise
- Everybody has to bring their computers with S4 & S5 run on them
- Updated upcoming schedule on the next slide
- Today we will start on Solidity
Upcoming schedule
- This week (week of Monday, Feb 24th):
- Midterm on Thursday, Feb 27th
- Next week (week of Monday, March 3rd)
- Due Monday: HW S5 (dApp introduction) due (unclear which day of the week as of yet)
- Due Friday: HW S4: private Ethereum blockchain (NOT YET READY) due Friday, Feb 28th
- It's a quick tutorial, not a full homework -- and will be able to be completed well ahead of time
- Week of Monday, March 10th: spring break (really)
- The following 7 weeks will have homeworks P5 through P11 due on Tuesday evenings
- HW P11 is due Tuesday, April 29th, which is the last day of classes
- Final exam is Friday, May 9th (the last day of final exams)
Snow Tracking
Lecture 12: Thu, Feb 20th
- Today was another UVA snow day, so no class was held
From here
Lecture 11: Tue, Feb 18th
- BTC:
$95,243; ETH:$2,640; ETH gas: 0.756 gwei =>$0.04 @ 2025-02-17 21:37:47 - Homeworks
- HW P4: BTC scripting is due Thursday
- A few issues with TXNs posting are occurring -- see Piazza post @54
- HW P4: BTC scripting is due Thursday
- Office schedule is on the Canvas landing page
- Mine are M 10-11:30 and W 1:30-3 in Rice 402 (note the change)
- TAs are Mon 1-5:30, Tue 12-3 and 4-5:30, Wed 10-12, and Thu 1-3, all in Rice 442
- This all will be on the Canvas landing page
- Reading
- HW S3: Read the Ethereum whitepaper, due this Thursday (Feb 20)
- There are TWO versions floating around -- please read the version in Canvas' Files
- HW S3: Read the Ethereum whitepaper, due this Thursday (Feb 20)
- Updated upcoming schedule on the next slide
- Today we will start on Ethereum
- We'll come back to Mining later
Upcoming schedule
- This week (week of Monday, Feb 17th):
- HW P4 (BTC scripting) now due Thursday, Feb 20th
- HW S3 (read Ethereum whitepaper) also due Thursday, Feb 20th
- Next week (week of Monday, Feb 24th):
- Midterm on Thursday, Feb 27th
- HW S4: private Ethereum blockchain (NOT YET READY) due Friday, Feb 28th
- It's a quick tutorial, not a full homework -- and will be able to be completed well ahead of time
- Week of Monday, March 3rd: HW S5 (dApp introduction) due (unclear which day of the week as of yet)
- Week of Monday, March 10th: spring break (really)
- The following 7 weeks will have homeworks P5 through P11 due on Tuesday evenings
- HW P11 is due Tuesday, April 29th, which is the last day of classes
- Final exam is Friday, May 9th (the last day of final exams)
Lecture 10: Thu, Feb 13th
- BTC:
$94,101; ETH:$2,551; ETH gas: 0.864 gwei =>$0.05 @ 2025-02-12 22:07:21 - Homeworks
- HW P3: BTC parsing was due yesterday -- how did it go?
- HW P4: BTC scripting is ready, and due next week
- I got it out 2 days late, so it will be due next Thursday (Feb 20)
- Office schedule is on the Canvas landing page
- Mine are M 10-11:30 and W 1:30-3 in Rice 402 (note the change)
- TAs are Mon 1-5:30, Tue 12-3 and 4-5:30, Wed 10-12, and Thu 1-3, all in Rice 442
- This all will be on the Canvas landing page
- Reading
- HW S3: Read the Ethereum whitepaper, due next Thursday (Feb 20)
- There are TWO versions floating around -- please read the version in Canvas' Files
- HW S3: Read the Ethereum whitepaper, due next Thursday (Feb 20)
- Upcoming schedule on the next slide
- Today we will start on Mining
Upcoming schedule
- Next week (week of Monday, Feb 17th):
- HW P4 (BTC scripting) now due Thursday, Feb 20th
- HW S3 (read Ethereum whitepaper) also due Thursday, Feb 20th
- Following week (week of Monday, Feb 24th):
- Midterm on Thursday, Feb 27th
- HW S4: private Ethereum blockchain (NOT YET READY) due Friday, Feb 28th
- It's a quick tutorial, not a full homework -- and will be able to be completed well ahead of time
- Week of Monday, March 3rd: HW S5 (dApp introduction) due (unclear which day of the week as of yet)
- Week of Monday, March 10th: spring break
- The following 7 weeks will have homeworks P5 through P11 due on Tuesday evenings
- HW P11 is due Tuesday, April 29th, which is the last day of classes
- Final exam is Friday, May 9th (the last day of final exams)
Snow
Lecture 9: Tue, Feb 11th
- Today was a UVA snow day, so no class was held
From here
Lecture 8: Thu, Feb 6th
- BTC:
$96,208; ETH:$2,636; ETH gas: 1.206 gwei =>$0.07 @ 2025-02-05 14:50:37 - Homeworks
- HW P2: ECDSA was due yesterday -- how did it go?
- HW P3: BTC parser is ready, and due Tue, Feb 11th
- Upcoming HWs (not yet ready!)
- HW P4 (due Tue, Feb 18th) will be on Bitcoin scripting
- Office hours this week:
- They are finalized, and posted on the Canvas landing page
- Mine are M 10-11:30 and W 1:30-3 in Rice 402 (note the change)
- TAs are Mon 1-5:30, Tue 12-3 and 4-5:30, Wed 10-12, and Thu 1-3, all in Rice 442
- This all will be on the Canvas landing page
- Today we will continue with Bitcoin
From hereLecture 7: Tue, Feb 4th
- BTC:
$91,242; ETH:$2,159; ETH gas: 9.353 gwei =>$0.42 @ 2025-02-03 13:41:48 - Homeworks
- HW P2: ECDSA is due tomorrow by midnight
- HW P3: BTC parser is ready, and due Tue, Feb 11th
- Upcoming HWs (not yet ready!)
- HW P4 (due Tue, Feb 18th) will be on Bitcoin scripting
- Office hours this week:
- They are finalized, and posted on the Canvas landing page
- Mine are M 10-11:30 and W 1:30-3 in Rice 402 (note the change)
- TAs are Mon 1-5:30, Tue 12-3 and 4-5:30, Wed 10-12, and Thu 1-3, all in Rice 442
- This all will be on the Canvas landing page
- Today we will continue with Bitcoin
From here
Lecture 6: Thu, Jan 30th
- BTC:
$101,427; ETH:$3,055; ETH gas: 1.926 gwei =>$0.12 @ 2025-01-29 23:09:33 - Homeworks
- HW P1: Cryptocurrency Introductory was due yesterday by midnight; how did it go?
- HW S2, due today, is reading the Bitcoin whitepaper
- A PDF of it is also in Canvas' Files (named bitcoin-whitepaper.pdf)
- HW P2 (ECDSA) is ready, and due Tue, Feb 4th
- Upcoming HWs (not yet ready!)
- HW P3 (due Tue, Feb 11th) will be on Bitcoin's blockchain
- HW P4 (due Tue, Feb 18th) will be on Bitcoin scripting
- Office hours this week:
- They are posted in a pinned Piazza post for now; once they settle, we will post them on the Canvas landing page
- Mine are M 10-11:30 and W 1:30-3 in Rice 402 (note the change)
- This all will be on the Canvas landing page
- Today we will continue with Bitcoin
From hereLecture 5: Tue, Jan 28th
- BTC:
$97,795; ETH:$3,024; ETH gas: 3.966 gwei =>$0.25 @ 2025-01-27 22:43:00 - Homeworks
- HW P1: Cryptocurrency Introductory is due today by midnight
- HW S2 will be a reading (the Bitcoin whitepaper), due this Thursday (!)
- A PDF of it is also in Canvas' Files (named bitcoin-whitepaper.pdf)
- HW P2 (ECDSA) is ready, and due Tue, Feb 4th
- Upcoming HWs (not yet ready!)
- HW P3 (due Tue, Feb 11th) will be on Bitcoin's blockchain
- HW P4 (due Tue, Feb 18th) will be on Bitcoin scripting
- Office hours this week:
- They are posted in a pinned Piazza post for now; once they settle, we will post them on the Canvas landing page
- Mine are M 10-11:30 and W 1:30-3 in Rice 402 (note the change)
- This all will be on the Canvas landing page
- Today we will finish with the encryption slide set
- Next up: Bitcoin
From reddit
Lecture 4: Thu, Jan 23rd
- BTC:
$102,000; ETH:$3,203; ETH gas: 4.705 gwei =>$0.32 @ 2025-01-22 23:28:49 - Homeworks
- HW S1: course introduction survey was due yesterday; summary on the next slide
- HW P1: Cryptocurrency Introductory is due the next Tuesday (Jan 28th) by midnight
- It's all ready to go
- Gradescope submission opens up 3 days before it is due
- HW S2 will be a reading (the Bitcoin whitepaper), due in late January
- A PDF of it is also in Canvas' Files (named bitcoin-whitepaper.pdf)
- Upcoming HWs (not yet ready!)
- HW P2 (due Tue, Feb 4th) will be on ECDSA
- HW P3 (due Tue, Feb 11th) will be on Bitcoin's blockchain
- HW P4 (due Tue, Feb 18th) will be on Bitcoin scripting
- Office hours this week:
- Abby has them today from 5-6:30 in ???
- The full schedule will start next week, and will be posted by noon on Monday
- Mine are M 9:30-11 and W 1:30-3 in Rice 402 (note the change)
- This all will be on the Canvas landing page
- Today we will continue with the encryption slide set
HW S1 summary (n=60)
- 57% took ICS already, 17% are taking it this semester, 27% have not
- Topic familiarity (1-5 Likert scale):
- Encryption: RSA: 2.50
- Hashing: 2.77
- Cryptocurrency: 2.15
- The Tor system: 1.70
- Residences:
- 46 from Virginia
- 10 from US but not Virginia
- Alabama, Georgia, Hawai'i, Illinois, New York x 2, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Texas
- 4 from other countries (Thailand, Singapore, South Korea, Germany)
- Likely to invest in cryptocurrency: 3.12; in NFTs: 1.92 (1-5 Likert scale)
- Cryptocurrency knowledge: 1.98 (1-5 Likert scale)
- Other topics of interest:
- Ones currently in the curriculum: NFTs, Tether, Solana x 4, rug pulls, staking, tokens
- Ones I'll look into inserting at some point: XRP x 4, pump.fun x 2, Cardano, Ondo, Sui x 4, Aptos, Chainlink, Destra x 2, Avax, Dogecoin, hardware aspects of mining, Trump Coin
- Ones that are much less interesting than they seem: SBF, Monero, The Hawk Tuah Coin (!) x 2
- 100% of you wish you had bought bitcoin 15 years ago
From twitterLecture 3: Tue, Jan 21st
- BTC:
$100,454; ETH:$3,191; ETH gas: 12.076 gwei =>$0.81 @ 2025-01-20 20:32:13 - Homeworks
- HW S1: course introduction survey is due today (Tuesday, Jan 21st) by midnight
- The link is on the Canvas landing page
- I'll bring a summary in on Thursday
- HW P1: Cryptocurrency Introductory is due the next Tuesday (Jan 28th) by midnight
- It's all ready to go
- Gradescope submission opens up 3 days before it is due
- HW S2 will be a reading (the Bitcoin whitepaper), due in late January
- A PDF of it is also in Canvas' Files (named bitcoin-whitepaper.pdf)
- HW S1: course introduction survey is due today (Tuesday, Jan 21st) by midnight
- Upcoming HWs (not yet ready!)
- HW P2 (due Tue, Feb 4th) will be on ECDSA
- HW P3 (due Tue, Feb 11th) will be on Bitcoin's blockchain
- HW P4 (due Tue, Feb 18th) will be on Bitcoin scripting
- Office hours start this week
- Mine are M 9-11 and W 2-3 in Rice 402
- TA office hours TBA
- This all will be on the Canvas landing page
- Today we will continue with the encryption slide set
Blockchain
Lecture 2: Thu, Jan 16th
- BTC:
$96,480; ETH:$3,186; ETH gas: 6.771 gwei =>$0.45 @ 2025-01-15 18:08:05 - Homeworks
- HW S1: course introduction survey is due next Tuesday (Jan 21st) by midnight
- The link is on the Canvas landing page
- HW P1: Cryptocurrency Introductory is due the following Tuesday (Jan 28th) by midnight
- It's all ready to go
- Gradescope submission opens up 3 days before it is due
- HW S2 will be a reading (the Bitcoin whitepaper), due in late January
- A PDF of it is also in Canvas' Files (named bitcoin-whitepaper.pdf)
- HW S1: course introduction survey is due next Tuesday (Jan 21st) by midnight
- Upcoming HWs (not yet ready!)
- HW P2 (due Tue, Feb 4th) will be on ECDSA
- HW P3 (due Tue, Feb 11th) will be on Bitcoin's blockchain
- HW P4 (due Tue, Feb 18th) will be on Bitcoin scripting
- Office hours start next week
- All are currently TBA; the times will be posted this weekend, but the locations may not be ready until Monday
- This all will be on the Canvas landing page
- Today we will continue with the Cryptocurrency overview slide set, and then start encryption
CS 4970 Cryptocurrency Aaron Bloomfield (aaron@virginia.edu) @github | ↑ | Daily Announcements Spring 2025