Introduction to Stage 1
Why Crypto emerged. Start with money, ledgers, and trust to understand what Bitcoin actually solves.
The questions this stage addresses
Before discussing Bitcoin, ask three earlier questions:
- What are the numbers in a bank account, exactly?
- Who can change the ledgers that record all your assets?
- Is there another way if we do not trust the bookkeeper?
After answering them, Bitcoin's emergence becomes a logical outcome rather than merely a technology story.
Six chapters
What are the numbers in a bank account, really?
Who has the power to change the ledger?
How can people who do not trust each other maintain the same state together?
In a digital world, how do you stop the same money being spent twice?
Where are your tokens actually held?
What exactly happens in the seconds after you press Confirm?
After this stage
You will have your first self-custodied wallet and be able to explain an on-chain transaction from signature to finality.
Stage artifact: An analysis of your wallet's first on-chain transaction.
Study suggestions
- Every chapter includes an exercise you can do immediately, using a testnet or a few dollars. Skipping the exercises cuts these chapters' value in half.
- Chapter 5 introduces real keys. Treat seed phrases seriously: write them on paper, do not take screenshots, and do not store them anywhere connected to the internet.
- If banks, money, and ledgers in the physical world are unfamiliar, read the corresponding World OS chapters alongside this stage.