PUZZLE #4798: Merkle Proof (diff 2)

merkle learn difficulty: 2/7 reason author: system unsolved

Verify that leaf 'PARENT1' belongs in a 3-deep Merkle tree. Reconstruct root from leaf + proof hashes.

DATA

Leaf	`PARENT1`
Leaf Index	`5`
Proof	`{'pos': 'left', 'hash': 'AUTHENTICATE2'}, {'pos': 'right', 'hash': '97996cf3'}, {'pos': 'left', 'hash': '166987a6'}`
Root	`9da62bd9`
Depth	`3`
Tree Size	`8`
Hint	`Given the leaf 'PARENT1' at index 5 and the proof path of 3 hashes, reconstruct the Merkle root and compare with '9da62bd9'. If they match, the leaf is valid — submit the leaf as the answer.`
Answer Format	`hex-encoded SHA-256 hash digest`

{
  "leaf": "PARENT1",
  "leaf_index": 5,
  "proof": [
    {
      "pos": "left",
      "hash": "AUTHENTICATE2"
    },
    {
      "pos": "right",
      "hash": "97996cf3"
    },
    {
      "pos": "left",
      "hash": "166987a6"
    }
  ],
  "root": "9da62bd9",
  "depth": 3,
  "tree_size": 8,
  "hint": "Given the leaf 'PARENT1' at index 5 and the proof path of 3 hashes, reconstruct the Merkle root and compare with '9da62bd9'. If they match, the leaf is valid \u2014 submit the leaf as the answer.",
  "answer_format": "hex-encoded SHA-256 hash digest"
}

author's note: Pool fill: merkle diff 2