• Ordinals is an open-source project from Bitcoin developer Casey Rodarmor consisting of two distinct parts; Ordinal Theory and Inscriptions.
• Ordinal Theory is a framework for tracking the lineage of an individual satoshi using an ordinal number it acquired at issuance.
• Every satoshi is given a unique ordinal number as early as the candidate block, starting from 0, and will continue until counting up to just below 2.1 quadrillion, with 100,000,000 satoshi groupings conventionally being referred to as “a bitcoin.”
What are Ordinals?
Ordinals is an open-source project from Bitcoin developer Casey Rodarmor consisting of two distinct parts; Ordinal Theory and Inscriptions. It provides a framework for tracking the lineage of individual satoshis using an ordinal number assigned at issuance.
What is Ordinal Theory?
Ordinal Theory is a conceptual social lens for interpreting all numerical data presented in bitcoin’s blocks. It suggests a singular perspective by assigning each satoshi its own unique ordinal number that starts from 0 and continues until counting up to just below 2.1 quadrillion. Groupings of 100 million satoshis (1 BTC) are referred to as “a bitcoin”
What are Cardinal Numbers?
Cardinals numbers tally how many units of something there are, such as the amount of satoshis in a transaction fee or the chain’s block height in Bitcoin terms (e.g., 10th block).
What are Ordinal Numbers?
By contrast, ordinal numbers denote rank or position within a system – such as when communicating a runner’s position in a race or within driving directions (e.g., ‘take the third left’).
Conclusion:
In conclusion, both cardinal and ordinals numbers play important roles within Bitcoin – cardinal numbers tallying how many units there are while ordinals denote rank or position within systems – and with Ordinals providing insight into how these numbers have been distributed over time via its Index feature.