1.4Lesson 4 of 8
What a satoshi is
This lesson answers
- What is a satoshi (sat)?
- Do I have to buy a whole bitcoin?
- Is $50 enough to buy bitcoin?
- How many satoshis are in one bitcoin?
- Why does my balance in dollars keep changing?
A satoshi is the smallest amount of bitcoin: one hundred-millionth of one bitcoin. It is named after Satoshi Nakamoto, who created Bitcoin. Nobody needs to buy a whole bitcoin. Any amount down to one satoshi can be owned and sent.
- 1 bitcoin
- …US dollars
- 1 satoshi
- …
- $1 is about
- …satoshis
$20 of bitcoin is about … satoshis.
See it on satoshis.watch →The numbers
| Bitcoin | Satoshis |
|---|---|
| 1 BTC | 100,000,000 |
| 0.1 BTC | 10,000,000 |
| 0.001 BTC | 100,000 |
| 0.00000001 BTC | 1 |
People often say sats for short. Fees and small amounts are usually given in sats because it avoids long rows of zeros.
What the record actually counts
The chain itself only counts whole satoshis. Wallets turn that number into bitcoin with eight decimal places, and into dollars at the current price. That is why a dollar figure moves all day while the amount of bitcoin stays exactly the same.
Check yourself
Practice, not a test. Think of your answer first, then reveal it.
1How many satoshis make one bitcoin?Reveal
100 million: 100,000,000.
2Is 0.001 BTC more or less than 1,000 sats?Reveal
More. 0.001 BTC is 100,000 sats.
3If the price of bitcoin falls, do you have fewer satoshis?Reveal
No. The number of satoshis stays the same. Only their value in dollars changes.
Sources
- Bitcoin Core, amount.h: one coin is 100,000,000 base units.
- Price: a public market feed, refreshed every few minutes.