A Merkle tree is a data structure used in computer science and cryptography, particularly within blockchain technology, that organizes and verifies the integrity of data in a hierarchical manner. Each leaf node of the tree contains a hash of a data block, while non-leaf nodes contain hashes of their respective child nodes. This structure enhances efficiency in verifying the consistency and integrity of large sets of data by enabling quick verification through its hash values, which is vital for block structure and chain formation.
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