Public Keys

With the private key in hand, you can now generate the corresponding public key.

To generate the public key, there is an asymmetric mathematical function that takes one number (the private key ) and plots it on an elliptic curve then generates

the public key from the resulting line that intersects the curve. So, in essence, the

public key is derived from the private key, but you cannot reverse engineer the

private key from the public key. You must always keep the private key confidential

and, if possible, try not to keep it on your computer in case it is hacked or has

catastrophic failure. If you can, place it in a cold wallet – something that does not

connect to the Internet. Use it only when you need to spend the money in a

particular address.