Examples of Hashing: How One Tiny Change Affects Everything

Introduction: Let’s Put Hashing to the Test ⚙️

Now that you understand what hashing is and how it works, it’s time to see it in action.

In this lesson, we’ll walk through real examples using SHA-256, the cryptographic hash function used in Bitcoin.

You’ll quickly realize how powerful and sensitive hashing can be—even a single character change creates a totally different output. 😲

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Example #1: The Original Input

Let’s take this sentence:

“BabyPips.com is cool as ice.”

When hashed using SHA-256, the output (digest) is:

A58E12FAC905B8F84EA2F64F888191A4B66A67CC45F8E7B7B0F94C37A134CB57

• 🔐 Exactly 64 characters long (fixed length)
• 🔒 Looks completely random and unreadable
• 📌 Most importantly, always the same for the same input

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Example #2: Tiny Change, Big Difference

Now let’s change just one letter:

“BabyPips.com is cool as lice.”

Notice we swapped ice for lice. Here’s the new hash:

B8784EAEB1FC50719B2041FB1AEE30FF91516529CCB65B4B446CC4D5F6B4EB95

Even though we made a tiny change, the result is a completely different hash.

Let’s compare:

Input	SHA-256 Hash
BabyPips.com is cool as ice.	A58E12FAC905B8F84EA2F64F888191A4B66A67CC45F8E7B7B0F94C37A134CB57
BabyPips.com is cool as lice.	B8784EAEB1FC50719B2041FB1AEE30FF91516529CCB65B4B446CC4D5F6B4EB95

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Example #3: One More Change

Let’s try again with another variation:

“BabyPips.com is cool as rice.”

New hash:

FCA7032BE8CF7F3C0DD75B8DEB77412E452EA5E2275BAA4125123CD639ED2C9A

Compare all three:

Input	SHA-256 Hash
BabyPips.com is cool as ice.	A58E12FAC905B8F84EA2F64F888191A4B66A67CC45F8E7B7B0F94C37A134CB57
BabyPips.com is cool as lice.	B8784EAEB1FC50719B2041FB1AEE30FF91516529CCB65B4B446CC4D5F6B4EB95
BabyPips.com is cool as rice.	FCA7032BE8CF7F3C0DD75B8DEB77412E452EA5E2275BAA4125123CD639ED2C9A

You can clearly see:

• ✍️ One letter change
• 🎲 Three completely different hashes

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Why This Matters for Bitcoin

This drastic difference is not a bug—it’s a feature. It’s how Bitcoin:

• ✅ Detects tampering
• ✅ Ensures data integrity
• ✅ Protects blockchain security

If a hacker changes just a single number in a transaction:

• The entire block’s hash changes
• The network immediately flags it as invalid

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Summary: Hashing is Sensitive and Secure 🔐

• 🔁 Same input = same output (always)
• 🔄 Even 1-letter change = totally different hash
• 📏 Output is always fixed-length (64 characters for SHA-256)

Want to try hashing yourself? Use an online SHA-256 hash generator and start experimenting. 🔍

📘 Next: We’ll explore how hashing is used in Bitcoin mining. Stay tuned on www.dailyforex.pk — your trusted resource for crypto education in Pakistan! 🇵🇰🚀