Ethereum is a computer network that allows people to create and run programs called “smart contracts.” Smart contracts are like little computer programs that can automatically do things like transfer money or keep track of who owns what.

For example, let’s say you and your friend want to play a game where you each put in some money, and the winner gets to keep all the money. You could use a smart contract on Ethereum to automatically keep track of the money and give it to the winner when the game is over.

Ethereum is kind of like a big computer that everyone can use to run their smart contracts, and it uses a special kind of money called “ether” to make sure everything works smoothly. People can use ether to pay for the computer power they need to run their smart contracts, and they can also buy and sell ether like they would any other kind of money.