What is bitcoin mining?

Bitcoin mining is an essential component of the network's system for arriving at consensus as to the current state of the ledger. It is central to enabling people to securely make Bitcoin transactions. The Bitcoin network is a globally distributed public ledger consisting of a giant list of timestamped transactions.

Can you run a bitcoin miner on a mobile device?

Running a miner on a mobile device, even if it is part of a mining pool, will likely result in no earnings. Bitcoin "mining" serves a crucial function to validate and confirm new transactions to the blockchain and to prevent double-spending by bad actors. It is also the way that new bitcoins are introduced into the system.

Does bitcoin mining affect volume?

In Bitcoin's case, however, the volume of bitcoin produced (minted) is predetermined by the Bitcoin protocol (ie. not affected by the number and power of miners) so, no matter how much mining power is directed towards the algorithm, the volume of Bitcoin produced will not be affected. Is bitcoin mining legal?

What would happen if there were no miners in Bitcoin?

In the absence of miners, Bitcoin as a network would still exist and be usable, but there would never be any additional bitcoin. However, because the rate of bitcoin "mined" is reduced over time, the final bitcoin won't be circulated until around the year 2140. This does not mean that transactions will cease to be verified.