Chapter · Master Ethereum
The EVM and gas
Every Ethereum computer runs the same software engine called the EVM, short for Ethereum Virtual Machine. When you use an app, the EVM runs its code step by step. Each step costs a small amount of work, measured in units called gas. You pay for that gas in ETH. Think of gas like fuel in a car: a short trip uses a little, a complex journey uses more. Prices for gas are often quoted in gwei, a tiny fraction of one ether.
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What you get asked
What is the EVM?
The Ethereum Virtual Machine is the standard engine every node runs. Because they all execute code the same way, the whole network agrees on the result.
The work needed to run a transaction on Ethereum is measured in units called ___.
Gas measures computational effort. More complex actions use more gas, and you pay for that gas in ETH.
Why do gas fees sometimes spike to high levels?
Block space is limited. When demand surges, users bid higher to get included sooner, so fees climb. When the network is quiet, fees drop.
Gas prices are usually quoted in ___, a very small fraction of one ether.
One gwei is one billionth of an ether. Quoting fees in gwei keeps the numbers readable instead of writing long strings of zeros.
Put a simple Ethereum transaction in order
You authorize the action, pay for the work, the engine runs it, and the outcome is written to the shared ledger. Gas is what keeps the whole system from being spammed.
The rest of this chapter
Learn how Ethereum works as a programmable blockchain, from smart contracts and gas to staking, Layer 2s, and DeFi.