EECE 571C - Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering

EECE 571C Electrical Engineering Seminar and Special Problems – BLOC & DSTR LEDG

Version: 0.7

Course Level:

Graduate course

Background Assumption

Students are expected to have very basic knowledges in computer science and mathematics, including the Turing machine, the principle of computer networks, the list and tree data structures, the fundamentals of discrete mathematics, and the principle of statistics and probabilities.

Textbook

No textbook required, lecture notes will be provided

Course Outline:

Introduction (Week 1)
1. Introduction of Blockchain — The Basic Concept
2. Introduction to the 3-Layer Model — The Social, Data, and Technical Layers
3. Introduction to Blockchain Use Cases
4. Introduction to the Course

Peer-to-Peer System (Week 2)
- Peer-to-Peer Networks
  - Review of Computer Networks
  - Graph Theory Basics
- Gossip Protocols
- Byzantine Generals Problem

Consensus Mechanism (Weeks 3, 4, 5, and 6)
- Learning by Games
- Double-spending Problem of Cryptocurrency
  - Centralized Solution
  - Decentralizes Solution
- Game Theory Fundamentals
  - Prisoner Dilemma
  - Repeated Game and Collational Game
  - Mechanism Design
- Consensus Mechanisms
  - FLP (Fischer, Lynch & Patterson) Impossibility
  - Proof-of-Work — History and Disadvantages
  - Proof-of-Stake (PoS) and Delegated PoS — Motivation and Problems
- Attack Models
  - Introduction to Attack Models
  - 51% Attack
  - Sybil Attack

Data & Records (Weeks 7 and 8)
- Blockchain as a Record Keeping System
  - Pros and Cons of Blockchain Comparing with Database
  - Difference between Record and Data
- Storage and Data Structure
  - On Chain & Off Chain
  - Hash Function, Merkle Tree, and Merkle Proof
  - Distributed Hash Table
- Basis of Trusting Records
  - Data Privacy
  - Data Transparency
  - Data Tamper-resistance and Non-repudiation
  - Data/Records Ownership and Control
  - Data/Records Accuracy, Reliability, and Authenticity

Modern Cryptography (Weeks 9 and 10)
- Review of Cryptographic Basics
  - Symmetric and Asymmetric Encryption
  - The Principle of RSA
- Elliptic Curve Cryptography (ECC)
  - Elliptic Curve
  - ECC versus RSA
- ECC Digital Signature
  - ECC Signature
  - ECC Signature Verification

Code and Virtual Machines (Weeks 11 and 12)
- Turing Completeness
- Operation Code in Bitcoin
- Smart Contract in Ethereum
- Ethereum Virtual Machine and Remote Procedure Call

Case Study (Week 13)
- Bitcoin in a nutshell
- Ethereum in a nutshell

Final Exam (Week 14)

Course Deliverables:

Task	Time to Release	Time to Due	Weight
Assignment 1	Week 3	Week 4	5%
Quiz 1	Week 5	Week 5	5%
Assignment 2	Week 6	Week 7	10%
Midterm	Week 8	Week 8	20%
Assignment 3	Week 9	Week 10	10%
Quiz 2	Week 12	Week 12	10%
Final	Week 14	Week 14	40%