How does steemit reward system works?

Steemit has some learning curve for its new users. Many people who join Steemit are not even aware of the cryptocurrency. With Steemit becoming popular globally, it is now becoming a gateway into the crypto world. This serves as a complete research paper on how Steemit reward system works, so that the learning curve can be significantly reduced and important information can be immediately passed to people joining the network.
image

Newbies have many questions related to reward system of Steemit and there's a lot that needs to be clarified. Here are some common questions.

How does Steemit reward its users?
Where does the money for the rewards come from?
How do I earn a share of that money?
What are Steem, Steem Dollar and Steem Power?
My posts show a $ sign. What does the amount with $ sign mean?
How much money will I get?
There are many confusions regarding Steemit and with this post, I am trying to remove majority of them. I am sure this post will help current Steemians, and future generations of Steemit users to understand Steemit better and benefit from that understanding.