<p>This is more a math question, but basically, the sum is a geometric series:</p>

<p><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geometric_series" rel="nofollow">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geometric_series</a></p>

<p>1/2 + 1/4 + 1/8 + 1/16 + ... = 1</p>

<p>That's basically what's happening here except with 21 million instead of 1.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-11-07T07:22:33.040Z
This does serve to correct the misconception, but in fact there is a simpler reason: in the actual Bitcoin protocol, the halving does not continue indefinitely. Beyond a certain block, the reward is simply 0, so we are dealing with a finite sum, not an infinite series.
Nate Eldredge
CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-11-07T15:50:13.020Z
Actually, each halving gives an upper limit on how many bitcoins may be created in the reward. At some point, a halving takes this below one satoshi, and thusly the reward cannot give out anything more than 0 satoshis. The halving continues though.
Murch
CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-11-08T07:13:35.043Z
@NateEldredge if that is true what will make people want to confirm transactions?
Riley Potts
CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-11-08T08:04:20.637Z
@Riley: Transaction fees, in theory. You can find this discussed in many questions on this site.
Nate Eldredge
CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-11-08T08:23:51.017Z
@NateEldredge transaction fees halfed? Or what?
Riley Potts
CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-11-11T15:24:45.960Z
@RileyPotts: The mining reward is composed of two parts: The transaction fees and the block reward. The block reward is halved as described above. The transaction fees are roughly proportional to the number of transaction in a block as most transactions should attach a fee.
Murch
CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-11-07T01:08:14.030Z
2015-11-07T01:08:14.030Z
Jimmy Song
<p>The maximum number of bitcoins that can exist is 21 million. New bitcoins are made by confirming that transactions happened. Every 4 years the amount of bitcoins people get when they solve a block is halved. When you keep on halving something you never get zero, so someone will always get paid some amount of bitcoins, but the max number of bitcoins that can exist is 21 million. So how is the total number of bitcoins not going to go over 21 million?</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-11-07T15:55:58.630Z
possible duplicate of [How many bitcoins will there eventually be?](http://bitcoin.stackexchange.com/a/274/5406)
Murch
CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-11-07T16:16:03.457Z
Similar paradox: When traveling to any destination, you always have to halve the remaining distance before you get there. No matter how far away you are, there will always be a half way point between you and the destination. Therefore you can never reach the destination, since there is always a half way point to arrive at first.
Bradley Thomas
<reward-schedule>
How come the block reward keeps only getting halved but there is an upper limit for bitcoins in existance?
Riley Potts
# How come the block reward keeps only getting halved but there is an upper limit for bitcoins in existance?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2015-11-07)

The maximum number of bitcoins that can exist is 21 million. New bitcoins are made by confirming that transactions happened. Every 4 years the amount of bitcoins people get when they solve a block is halved. When you keep on halving something you never get zero, so someone will always get paid some amount of bitcoins, but the max number of bitcoins that can exist is 21 million. So how is the total number of bitcoins not going to go over 21 million?

**Tags:** reward-schedule

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: possible duplicate of [How many bitcoins will there eventually be?](http://bitcoin.stackexchange.com/a/274/5406)  
> **username_2**: Similar paradox: When traveling to any destination, you always have to halve the remaining distance before you get there. No matter how far away you are, there will always be a half way point between you and the destination. Therefore you can never reach the destination, since there is always a half way point to arrive at first.  

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## 1 answers

### Answer by username_3 on 2015-11-07. Score: 2 | Accepted answer

This is more a math question, but basically, the sum is a geometric series:

<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geometric_series>

1/2 + 1/4 + 1/8 + 1/16 + ... = 1

That's basically what's happening here except with 21 million instead of 1.

> **Comments:**
> **username_4**: This does serve to correct the misconception, but in fact there is a simpler reason: in the actual Bitcoin protocol, the halving does not continue indefinitely. Beyond a certain block, the reward is simply 0, so we are dealing with a finite sum, not an infinite series.  
> **username_1**: Actually, each halving gives an upper limit on how many bitcoins may be created in the reward. At some point, a halving takes this below one satoshi, and thusly the reward cannot give out anything more than 0 satoshis. The halving continues though.  
> **username_0**: @username_4 if that is true what will make people want to confirm transactions?  
> **username_4**: @username_0: Transaction fees, in theory. You can find this discussed in many questions on this site.  
> **username_0**: @username_4 transaction fees halfed? Or what?  
> **username_1**: @username_0: The mining reward is composed of two parts: The transaction fees and the block reward. The block reward is halved as described above. The transaction fees are roughly proportional to the number of transaction in a block as most transactions should attach a fee.  

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