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The “coin” in Bitcoin sounds like the pieces of metal that people have used for centuries to pay for things.
比特币中的“币”听起来就像几个世纪以来人们用来支付东西的金属片。
But bitcoins and other cryptocurrencies are digital currencies.
但比特币和其他加密货币都是数字货币。
Nothing physical changes hands in a bitcoin transaction, just bits of code.
在比特币交易中，没有任何实物易手，只有一些代码。
So, what do people mean when they say, “bitcoin mining”?
那么，人们所说的“比特币挖矿”是什么意思呢？
Cryptocurrencies use a system known as a blockchain to record and verify transactions.
加密货币使用一种被称为区块链的系统来记录和验证交易。
A blockchain is a collection of records like a digital ledger.
区块链是像数字账本一样的记录集合。
But instead of the information existing in one place such as a bank, the blockchain is distributed among many users, who can view every transaction ever made.
但是，区块链不是存在于一个地方(如银行)的信息，而是分布在许多用户之间，这些用户可以查看曾经进行的每一笔交易。
Here is how the bitcoin blockchain works: As new transactions occur and the blockchain is updated, everyone on the network receives the same information to keep the system safe.
比特币区块链的工作原理是这样的：随着新交易的发生和区块链的更新，网络上的每个人都会收到相同的信息，以确保系统的安全。
Each new transaction is grouped with other recent transactions in a block, awaiting addition to the blockchain.
每个新交易都与最近发生的其他交易分组到一个区块里，等待添加到区块链中。
This is when the process known as mining begins.
这就是所谓的挖矿过程开始的时候。
Miners - basically any user on the network with sufficient computing power - vie with each other to be the first to verify the new transactions and solve a cryptographic puzzle unique to that block.
挖矿者-基本上是网络上任何拥有足够计算能力的用户-相互竞争，成为第一个验证新交易并解决该区块独有的密码难题的人。
This involves guessing a “hash”, a code made of a very long string of numbers and letters unique to that block.
这涉及到猜测“散列”，这是一种由区块独有的非常长的数字和字母串组成的代码。
The task, known as Proof-of-Work, is so complex that it can only be solved by trial and error, which takes a huge amount of computer processing power.
这项任务被称为工作量证明，非常复杂，只能通过反复试错才能解决，这需要巨大的计算机处理能力。
Proof-of-Work is a way of protecting the blockchain against fraud.
工作量证明是保护区块链免受欺诈的一种方式。
Only after the hash is solved and the transactions are verified can the new block be added to the chain.
只有在散列被解决并且交易得到验证之后，新的区块才能被添加到链中。
The successful miner is rewarded for the work with a bitcoin payment.
成功的挖矿者将获得比特币报酬。
Today, most mining is done by large data centers specially designed for the task, known as farms.
如今，大多数挖矿都是由专门为这项任务设计的大型数据中心进行的，这些数据中心被称为矿场。
These mining farms use an enormous amount of energy.
这些矿场消耗大量能源。
One estimate says it takes the amount of power an average U.S. household uses in 74 days to mine a single Bitcoin.
据估计，开采一枚比特币需要一个普通美国家庭74天的用电量。
If Bitcoin were a country, its energy consumption would rank just below Egypt, a nation of over 106 million people.
如果比特币是一个国家，它的能源消耗量将仅次于人口超1.06亿的埃及。
In addition to Bitcoin, there are now over 2,000 other cryptocurrency systems.
除了比特币，目前还存在2000多种其他加密货币系统。
Some are using methods other than energy-intensive mining to secure their systems.
其中一些正在使用能源密集型挖矿以外的方法来保护他们的系统。
Solving the energy consumption challenge will be critical to the future of any digital currency.
解决能源消耗这一挑战对任何数字货币的未来都将至关重要。
