How is it that a public blockchain's consensus protocol was written as a paper before any code? One figure: Cardano's native coin ADA is named after the British mathematician Ada Lovelace, who is often regarded as the first programmer in history. Cardano uses an extended UTXO model (eUTXO), which differs from Ethereum's account model: the execution result and fees can be determined before a transaction is submitted. Understanding this is worth more than memorizing a pile of jargon. It is best to invest only the portion of funds that would not affect your life even if lost. Holders can delegate their coins to stake pools and participate in staking rewards.