$ADA the ticker symbol for Ether, the cryptocurrency that runs on the Ethereum blockchain. Here's a breakdown:

* Ethereum: This is a decentralized, open-source blockchain platform. It's known for its smart contract functionality, which allows developers to build and deploy decentralized applications (dApps).

* Ether (ETH): This is the native cryptocurrency of the Ethereum network. It serves several purposes:

* It's used to pay transaction fees (called "gas") on the Ethereum network.

* It's used as collateral in various