Arithmetic Circuits

Brief description of arithmetic circuits and their role in SNARK creation

Arithmetic Circuits

A critical step in the implementation of any SNARK based application is the conversion of the arbitrary problem to be proven into a mathematical assemblage called an Arithmetic Circuit. While it may seem counterintuitive at first, converting a computational problem to a set of arithmetic operations (addition, multiplication) is precisely what enables zero knowledge circuits produce confirmation on incomplete data the way they do. Each arithmetic circuit is composed of arithmetic gates which are numerical analogs to boolean based logic gates, and wires which demonstrate the flow of values from the beginning of the circuit to the close

An arithmetic circuit is made up of wires and gates that represent an arithmetic operation