Hash rate

Hash rate refers to the speed at which a computer or a network is able to solve a complex mathematical problem called a hash function. Hash rate is usually measured in hashes per second (H/s) or megahashes per second (MH/s), gigahashes per second (GH/s), or terahashes per second (TH/s). Hash rate is important in the context of cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin, as it determines the mining power of a network. The higher the hash rate, the more mining power a network has, and the greater its ability to validate transactions and mine new blocks. Hash rate also plays a role in the difficulty adjustment of the Bitcoin network, which adjusts the difficulty of the hash function to maintain a consistent block time of approximately 10 minutes. As more miners join the network and increase the hash rate, the difficulty of the hash function increases to maintain the 10-minute block time.