<blockquote>
<p>how the chain containing the &quot;empty&quot; block was heavier than the chain containing the stale block?</p>
</blockquote>
<p>&quot;Heaviest&quot; is technically not the correct terminology. Bitcoin uses the valid chain with <strong>the most cumulative work</strong>. This is unrelated to the size of blocks nor their &quot;weight&quot; (whether that be weight units as defined by segwit, or some other definition of weight). The chain containing the empty block becomes part of the main chain because someone mined a block on top of it so the cumulative work of that branch is greater than the others.</p>
<blockquote>
<p>Is the mined block time important in resolving such situations?</p>
</blockquote>
<p>The only effect the time has is on propagation. Otherwise the time doesn't matter. What matters is getting the block to someone who will mine a block on top of it, and that is where time matters.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-12-04T03:48:33.680Z
For context, "heaviest" was popular in 2015-2017 to distinguish from longest. I used to use it myself not too long ago, never realizing that people might associate it with weight. I've settled for "most-work chain" or best "best chain" since.
Murch
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-12-03T22:01:49.353Z
2020-12-03T22:01:49.353Z
Ava Chow
<p>According to this website: <a href="https://forkmonitor.info/stale/btc/644543" rel="nofollow noreferrer">https://forkmonitor.info/stale/btc/644543</a>, at the block heigh <a href="https://www.blockchain.com/btc/block/644543" rel="nofollow noreferrer">644543</a> multiple blocks were produced. If I understand correctly, in Bitcoin, the <em>heaviest</em> chain survives, while the other block(s) become <em>stale</em>.</p>
<p>So, in this case, the &quot;empty&quot; block containing one COINBASE transaction <a href="https://www.blockchain.com/btc/block/644543" rel="nofollow noreferrer">644543</a> survived, while the block: <a href="https://www.blockchain.com/btc/block/0000000000000000000ac8d61492ab76dab7451373c6eaa6803ec0244f623395" rel="nofollow noreferrer">https://www.blockchain.com/btc/block/0000000000000000000ac8d61492ab76dab7451373c6eaa6803ec0244f623395</a> (containing 2,426 transactions) became a <em>stale</em>! Moreover, the <em>stale</em> block was mined 3 seconds earlier.</p>
<p>Questions:</p>
<ol>
<li>how the chain containing the &quot;empty&quot; block was <em>heavier</em> than the chain containing the <em>stale</em> block?</li>
<li>Is the mined block time important in resolving such situations?</li>
</ol>

<block><stale-block>
Question regarding stale blocks and the heaviest chain
Remis
# Question regarding stale blocks and the heaviest chain

(Asked by: username_0 on 2020-12-03)

According to this website: <https://forkmonitor.info/stale/btc/644543>, at the block heigh [644543](https://www.blockchain.com/btc/block/644543) multiple blocks were produced. If I understand correctly, in Bitcoin, the *heaviest* chain survives, while the other block(s) become *stale*.

So, in this case, the "empty" block containing one COINBASE transaction [644543](https://www.blockchain.com/btc/block/644543) survived, while the block: <https://www.blockchain.com/btc/block/0000000000000000000ac8d61492ab76dab7451373c6eaa6803ec0244f623395> (containing 2,426 transactions) became a *stale*! Moreover, the *stale* block was mined 3 seconds earlier.

Questions:

1. how the chain containing the "empty" block was *heavier* than the chain containing the *stale* block?
2. Is the mined block time important in resolving such situations?

**Tags:** block, stale-block


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## 1 answers

### Answer by username_1 on 2020-12-03. Score: 2 | Accepted answer

> how the chain containing the "empty" block was heavier than the chain containing the stale block?

"Heaviest" is technically not the correct terminology. Bitcoin uses the valid chain with **the most cumulative work**. This is unrelated to the size of blocks nor their "weight" (whether that be weight units as defined by segwit, or some other definition of weight). The chain containing the empty block becomes part of the main chain because someone mined a block on top of it so the cumulative work of that branch is greater than the others.

> Is the mined block time important in resolving such situations?

The only effect the time has is on propagation. Otherwise the time doesn't matter. What matters is getting the block to someone who will mine a block on top of it, and that is where time matters.

> **Comments:**
> **username_2**: For context, "heaviest" was popular in 2015-2017 to distinguish from longest. I used to use it myself not too long ago, never realizing that people might associate it with weight. I've settled for "most-work chain" or best "best chain" since.  

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