Blockchain CBSA Exam - Topic 6 Question 90 Discussion

Actual exam question for Blockchain's CBSA exam

Question #: 90
Topic #: 6

[All CBSA Questions]

In Ethereum how is the block difficulty determined in Ethereum?

AThe Block Difficulty increases when the time between mined blocks is below 10 seconds, while it decreases when the time is above 20 seconds.

BThe Block Difficulty is determined by the Ethereum Committee every fortnight to reflect the average amount of transaction and it cannot be influenced by the network itself.

CThe Block Difficulty increases when the time between mined blocks is below 20 seconds, while it decreases when the tie is above 60 seconds.

Show Suggested Answer

Suggested Answer: A

At the time of writing these lines, the Ethereum Blockchain still runs on Proof of Work. When a block is mined, the miner node selects some transactions from a pool of pending transactions. Usually they are sorted by how much gas they would bring in. These transactions are executed and incorporated in the new block. But a block also contains two very important parameters: a difficulty and a timestamp. The difficulty regulates how hard it is to find a block by the miner. The mining time is set to be between 10 and 20 seconds. If it's beyond 20 seconds, the difficulty is too high and will be automatically lowered going forward. If the mining happens below 10 seconds, then the difficulty increases. The timestamp is the time when a miner found the block. It is not automatically derived, rather it is set by the miner itself and can thus be influenced to a certain degree. The timestamp does not depend on the time zone, as it's the standard Unix timestamp.

by Jesusita at Jul 08, 2025, 12:13 PM

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Shawnda

3 months ago

C sounds off, I don't remember 60 seconds being a thing.

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Kayleigh

3 months ago

Definitely A! Makes sense.

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Justine

3 months ago

B is totally wrong, the network influences it!

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Cory

3 months ago

Wait, is it really that simple?

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Judy

3 months ago

I think it's A, right?

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Carey

4 months ago

I’m leaning towards option A, but I’m confused about the exact numbers. I feel like I’ve seen different values in other practice questions.

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Katie

4 months ago

I remember something about the Ethereum network adjusting difficulty, but I thought it was more about the average transaction volume rather than specific time intervals.

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Bea

4 months ago

I practiced a similar question, and I feel like the correct answer has to do with 10 and 20 seconds, but I'm not entirely sure.

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Deeanna

4 months ago

I think the block difficulty is adjusted based on the time between blocks, but I can't remember the exact thresholds.

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Nieves

5 months ago

I'm pretty sure the block difficulty is not determined by an Ethereum committee, so option B is definitely wrong. I think it has to do with the network's ability to mine blocks in a certain timeframe, but I'm not 100% sure of the details. I'll have to make an educated guess on this one.

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Gearldine

5 months ago

Okay, let me see if I can work this out. I believe the block difficulty is automatically adjusted by the network to maintain a target block time, but I'm not sure of the exact numbers. I'll have to review my notes on Ethereum consensus mechanisms.

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Francoise

5 months ago

Hmm, I'm a bit unsure about this one. I know the block difficulty is somehow related to the time between blocks, but I can't remember the exact thresholds. I'll have to think this through carefully.

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Simona

5 months ago

I'm pretty confident I know how the block difficulty is determined in Ethereum. I think it's option A, where the difficulty increases when the time between blocks is below 10 seconds and decreases when it's above 20 seconds.

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Angelica

7 months ago

I'm voting for Option A. Gotta keep those blocks coming at a steady pace, you know?

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Ora

7 months ago

I think the Ethereum Committee determines the block difficulty every fortnight, so option B might be the correct answer.

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Mozell

7 months ago

I disagree, I think option C is more accurate as the block difficulty increases when the time is below 20 seconds.

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Latricia

7 months ago

I believe option A is correct, as the block difficulty increases when the time is below 10 seconds.

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Giovanna

7 months ago

Wait, so the Ethereum Committee is like the Federal Reserve of crypto? That's hilarious!

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Valentine

6 months ago

C) The Block Difficulty increases when the time between mined blocks is below 20 seconds, while it decreases when the tie is above 60 seconds.

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Shizue

6 months ago

C) The Block Difficulty increases when the time between mined blocks is below 20 seconds, while it decreases when the tie is above 60 seconds.

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Fatima

6 months ago

A) The Block Difficulty increases when the time between mined blocks is below 10 seconds, while it decreases when the time is above 20 seconds.

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Delmy

7 months ago

B) The Block Difficulty is determined by the Ethereum Committee every fortnight to reflect the average amount of transaction and it cannot be influenced by the network itself.

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Antione

7 months ago

A) The Block Difficulty increases when the time between mined blocks is below 10 seconds, while it decreases when the time is above 20 seconds.

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Meaghan

7 months ago

I think the block difficulty in Ethereum is determined by the time between mined blocks.

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Dominga

7 months ago

Option C looks good to me. Seems like a reasonable range for block time adjustments.

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Viva

7 months ago

I'm not sure about Option B. Doesn't the network itself determine the difficulty based on the hash rate?

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Keena

7 months ago

A) The Block Difficulty increases when the time between mined blocks is below 10 seconds, while it decreases when the time is above 20 seconds.

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Annelle

7 months ago

C) The Block Difficulty increases when the time between mined blocks is below 20 seconds, while it decreases when the tie is above 60 seconds.

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Rocco

7 months ago

A) The Block Difficulty increases when the time between mined blocks is below 10 seconds, while it decreases when the time is above 20 seconds.

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Van

8 months ago

Option A seems logical, as the network should adjust difficulty to maintain a consistent block time.

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Ahmed

7 months ago

User 3: Yeah, it's important for the network to adjust difficulty accordingly.

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Marleen

7 months ago

User 2: That makes sense, it helps maintain a consistent block time.

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Josephine

7 months ago

User 1: I think the block difficulty increases when the time between mined blocks is below 10 seconds.

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