A nonce is a number that can only be used once and plays a crucial role in the process of mining blocks in a blockchain. Miners compete to find a nonce that produces a hash value meeting specific criteria, typically by being lower than a target value.When miners create a new block, they include a block header that contains data such as the previous block’s hash, transactions, and the nonce. By systematically changing the nonce and hashing the block header, miners perform numerous attempts to find the right combination that satisfies the difficulty level set by the network.The process of finding a suitable nonce is energy-intensive and time-consuming. Once a miner successfully finds the correct nonce, they broadcast the new block to the network. Other participants then verify it, and once accepted, the miner is rewarded with cryptocurrency, incentivizing their efforts.Overall, the nonce ensures security and integrity in blockchain technology, preventing double-spending and ensuring that new blocks are added in a legitimate manner.