Explain to me the $

Explain to me the $

I have used simple JS before so I am somewhat familiar. Can somebody explain what the $ character is all about?

  1. $(function() {
        $("#slider").slider({
            orientation: "vertical",
            range: "min",
            min: 0,
            max: 100,
            value: 100,
            slide: function(event, ui) {
                $("#amount").val(ui.value);
            }
        });
    });










The above code works fine, but I am not understanding the $ and why its encapsulated in parens. Thanks.
-jqnewb