MONEY

We begin by defining money. At first, it may seem natural to define it by its physical characteristics, and to say that money consists of bills of a certain size and color with certain words and symbols printed on them, as well as coins of a certain type. But this definition would be too restrictive, since money in other societies has consisted of whale teeth, wampum, and a variety of other things. Thus it seems better to define money by its functions than by its physical characteristics. Like beauty, money is as money dose.
Money is anything that is widely exchanged for goods people sell or work they do. It is a form of payment people will accept. Long ago, precious metals such as gold and silver were used as money. Today, paper bills and coins are a common form of money. Money has other uses, too. One of them is to measure the value of things. Bicycles, clothes, even hamburgers have a certain value. That value is the price—how much money people will pay for it. Money is also a way people store up wealth. People save their money in bank accounts or piggy banks. Saving money is a way of collecting and storing wealth, much like owning land, a home, or jewelry.