01Definition
Every 2,016 blocks, Bitcoin recalculates the proof-of-work target from the time taken by the preceding interval. More hash rate tends to raise difficulty; less tends to lower it.
02The control loop
The ideal interval is 20,160 minutes, or two weeks. The adjustment is bounded to a factor of four in either direction, limiting abrupt target changes even after extreme hash-rate movement.
03What it stabilizes
Difficulty does not make every block arrive in ten minutes. Mining remains random. It stabilizes the long-run average, which keeps issuance and confirmation cadence broadly aligned with protocol expectations.
⌖Reference points
01
Recalculated every 2,016 blocks
02
Targets a ten-minute average
03
Responds to total hash rate
04
Individual block times remain random