The wonderful world of futures contracts has finally caught up with the exciting new world of cryptocurrencies. If you pardon the pun, for Bitcoin, the futures is now. Futures contracts have been in use since the late 19th century. A futures contract is an agreement for the delivery of goods at a specified date in the future. The price is set at the beginning of the contract, and when the product is delivered, the original agreed price is paid.

Economists, investors, enthusiasts and naysayers love to argue about the nature of bitcoin. Is it the future of money? A hedge against chaos? A pile of cash doused in lighter fluid? The thing is, it's hard to tackle the big questions unless you know something about the inner workings of bitcoin. So here's your guide to the basics of how the cryptocurrency functions: the concepts and vocabulary you need to know before you can start winning arguments on reddit.