What the heck are "Fed notes"? Just jargon for dollar bills?

Question

I guess I'm asking what's the difference between a "Federal Reserve note" and a "U.S. dollar bill." They don't just mean government bonds, do they?

Thanks, bluecast, but this is why I ask:

Which ones are the components of currency?
a. Federal Reserve notes
b. coins
c. silver dollars
d. silver certificates
e. U.S. notes

The answer is supposed to be "all of the above," but you're saying that a and e are the same thing?

Answer 1

Take a look at the nearest dollar bill -- along the top it's labeled "Federal Reserve Note". I think the answer to your question is fed reserve notes and coins -- those are currency. There no longer are "silver dollars" in circulation, nor silver certificates. Don't know what a "U.S. Note" is, I assume that's a distracter.

Answer 2

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Federal_Reserve_notes

A federal note is paper money. The site above gives more detail.