How Many Satoshis Are in a Bitcoin? (1 BTC = 100M Sats) (2024)

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Like adollar can bebroken down into cent-sized units, 1 BTC = 100M satoshis. Inthis article, welearn why satoshis are important toBitcoin adoption and what the SATS: USD rate isonJuly 26th, 2024.

It’s acommon misconception that purchasing Bitcoin means buying awholeBitcoin. Infact, some ofthe most enthusiastic Bitcoiners are still trying tobecome a"whole-coiner.”

The smallest unit ofaccount iscalled asatoshi…

How Many Satoshis are inEachBitcoin?

• Each Bitcoin isdivisible into 100,000,000 satoshis, often abbreviated tosats.

• Asatoshi isthe atomic unit ofBitcoin.

• The total number ofsatoshis that will ever exist is2.1 quadrillion.

This extreme divisibility facilitates microtransactions and makes Bitcoin adaptable toeveryone’s economic needs, from nation-states and sovereign wealth funds toindividuals looking for coffee oraslice ofpizza with satoshis.

Example: Ifyou bought a$100 item with one Bitcoin, your charge might ring upas0.0025 BTC (ifBTC equaled $40,000). However, it’s easier tounderstand 250,000satoshis.

What isaSatoshi?

Asatoshi, named after Bitcoin’s anonymous creator, SatoshiNakamoto. AsBitcoin’s value continues toappreciate over the coming years, itwill bedifficult for the average investor toacquire awholeBitcoin.

Satoshi Origin

OnNovember 15, 2010, ribuck proposed that 0.01 BTC, orone-hundredth ofaBitcoin, should benamed a‘Satoshi.’

However, four months later, herevised his proposal, suggesting that the term 'Austrian' or'Satoshi' beused.

The term 'Satoshi' won out, gained popularity and became widely accepted byallBitcoiners.

Bitcoin’s Divisibility: More Than Just Convenience

Bitcoin’s divisibility isnot just amatter ofconvenience. It’s acritical feature that enhances Bitcoin’s scalability and accessibility, allowing users from all economic backgrounds toparticipate inthe Bitcoineconomy.

Onthe blockchain, all values are initially expressed insatoshis and then converted for displaypurposes. The source code ofBitcoin also refers toamounts interms ofsatoshis, particularly when dealing with small fractions ofaBitcoin, like in:

• Fee calculations per byte

• Rewards from afaucet

… where satoshis enhances readability.

Millisatoshi’s: Scaling Bitcoin onLightning

The Lightning Network and other Layer2 scaling solutions utilize even smaller units ofsatoshis— “millisatoshis” or“msats” for short.

InDecember 2017, BIP-176also proposed “Bits” beused asastandard term for 100 (one hundred) satoshis or1/1,000,000 (one one-millionth) ofaBitcoin.

Amillisatoshi isone-thousandth ofasatoshi.

Millisatoshis are used within the Lightning Network tofacilitate microtransactions for more precise accounting and settlement.

This division allows even smaller transactions tobeeffectively represented within the LightningNetwork.

• 1 satoshi = 0.00000001 BTC

• 1 millisatoshi (msat) = 0.00000000001 BTC or1/1000th ofasatoshi

NOTE: Millisatoshis are not recognized onthe Bitcoin main chain.

When aLightning transaction isclosed and settled onthe Bitcoin blockchain, the amounts are rounded tothe nearest satoshi, asthe main chain does not support smaller units than asatoshi.

Learn more about how Bitcoin isgaining widespread adoption with fast, super-cheap micropayments that are accessible toeveryone, allowing for worldwide financialinclusion.

Satoshi Currency Symbol

Satoshi isoften abbreviated tosat orsats, although nocurrency symbol has been officiallyadopted.

Not too long after, the term 'Stacking Sats' was born.

This finite supply isfundamental toits design, ensuring scarcity and potentially enhancing its value over time.Recent estimates suggest there are approximately 59.4 million millionaires and only 2,781 billionaires worldwide.

Let’s dosome #Bitcoinmath.

Ifthe total supply of21 million Bitcoin were tobeevenly distributed among these millionaires, each millionaire would receive:

ONLY approximately 0.352 BTC

Afork does not affect the 21 million supplylimit. This stark difference highlights the concentration ofwealth and the potential impact onBitcoinownership.

Permanently Lost Satoshi’s

Accordingtothe Investment Manager atCane Island ofDigital Research and Author of“#Bitcoin Spreads Like aVirus” & “The Debauchery ofCurrency, aBloody History ofMoney,” Timothy Peterson, uptoapproximately6 million Bitcoin, constituting about 30% ofthe total Bitcoin supply, are believed tobepermanently lost, equating toavalue of$311.4billion.

InJune of2010, username laszlo commented onthe Bitcoin talk forum about ifitmakes sense totry torecover keys for lostcoins. However, the computing power toaccomplish this isunreasonable and unlikely tobepulled off.

Satoshi responded bystating:

Looking tothe future, the increasing value ofBitcoin could lead toascenario where pricing insatoshis becomes morepractical. AsBitcoin’s value potentially escalates, using its smallest unit for everyday transactions could become commonplace, similar tohow cents are used inthe dollar system.

Don’t let the high price ofasingle Bitcoin deter you…

Start small.
Think insatoshis.
Stack sats.
Remain humble.
Smash buy Bitcoin with Swantoday.

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