Difficulty adjustment

In plain words

Miners join, quit, upgrade; the network's guessing power swings without pause. Every 2,016 blocks — about two weeks — every node re-tunes the puzzle so blocks keep landing near ten minutes apart. More power, harder puzzle. Less, easier. A thermostat with no hand on the dial: every node computes the same number, and the schedule holds.

Why it matters

• New coins stay on schedule no matter how many miners arrive.
• Self-healing: after crashes or bans, the network rebalances itself.
• No committee sets it. None could.

Go deeper

• Proof of work
• Hashrate
• The halving