Coins in this system are called “nyzo” (plural “nyzos”). The prefix for a nyzo is the mathematical intersection symbol, ∩. So, “5 nyzos” would be written as “∩5.” The smallest unit of measurement is the micronyzo. A micronyzo is 1/1,000,000 of a nyzo. The prefix for a micronyzo is the lowercase Greek letter mu, µ. So, “15 micronyzos” would be written as µ15. To avoid ambiguity and to eliminate rounding issues, all transactions are handled at the programmatic and blockchain levels in terms of micronyzos, and fractional micronyzos cannot be specified anywhere in the system.
Several “edges” are discussed in this system. The “frozen edge” is the highest block that a verifier has agreed it will never change, and the consensus mechanism is built to extend the frozen edge as quickly as possible while ensuring that no two verifiers acting in good faith ever freeze different blocks at the same level. The “trailing edge” is the lowest block that was necessary to determine the state of the frozen edge, and the “retention edge” is the lowest block for which a verifier will service normal requests. The frozen edge and trailing edge are precisely defined based on characteristics of the blockchain, while the retention edge is an arbitrary buffer behind the trailing edge that is useful in bootstrapping new verifiers.