Proof of Work vs SHA-256

Proof of Work (PoW) is a consensus mechanism where miners compete to solve complex computational puzzles by finding valid hash outputs, with the winner earning the right to add the next block and receive cryptocurrency rewards while securing the network through computational expenditure.

SHA-256 (Secure Hash Algorithm 256-bit) is the specific cryptographic hash function used by Bitcoin that converts any input data into a fixed 64-character hexadecimal output, providing the mathematical foundation for Bitcoin's security and mining process.