The elliptic curve algorithm can compute the public key from the private key, which is an irreversible process: K = k * G .
where k is the private key, G is a constant point called the generator point, and K is the resulting public key. The reverse operation, called "finding the discrete logarithm" - finding the private key k by knowing the public key K - is very difficult, as is experimenting with all possible values of k, i.e., violent search.