All lecture material is developed by the instructors for the MSc Computer Science (module: 7CCSMDLC) that is taught at King's College London.
This course focuses on cryptocurrencies and blockchain technology which combines applied cryptography, software engineering, distributed systems, mechanism design and game-theory. It is the first example of a self-sustaining peer-to-peer network that can reach consensus about a series of events on a global scale without the assistance (or support) of any global institution or intermediary. The first application of a global consensus network was Bitcoin, a peer-to-peer electronic cash system, but it has since been taken further by several new projects including Ethereum to support the execution of global programs (‘smart contracts’). Throughout the course, we’ll study how something like Bitcoin can work, the implications (and beauty) of self-enforcing smart contracts, and focus on bringing all students up to date with state-of-the-art research in this emerging (and exciting) area.
Recommended reading material.
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| Title | Instructor | Lecture Material | Take-away work |
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Introduction to Cryptocurrencies & Distributed Ledger |
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Structure of the blockchain and how cryptography plays a role |
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The Bitcoin Network Layer |
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Breaking Smart Contracts |
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Problems surrounding on-chain scalability |
Patrick McCorry |
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Money and ICOs |
None |
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Scaling via Off-chain Protocols (Part 1) and Q&A with Andreas |
None |
Hope our material helps you! To the moon.