[Android Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] Jack Jake:
Do you want to root your phone? I will give instructions on how (at the end of the reply), but if you dont then just dont do it, you have a chance of messing up your phone. there's your warning...

To your first question "what is a kernel"

When software needs the hardware to do anything, it sends a request to the kernel. You can flash a kernel via Odin (search it up Google) IF you don't already have CWM then just flash the kernel in CWM. Make sure if you flash in Odin the file is a .tar or .tar.md5 type. And in CWM it is a zip file.

To your second question "how many ways are there to root ( if i understand your question correctly) and how to know if you are rooted"

There are hundreds of ways to root. Maybe not hundreds but still a lot. Different phones have different ways to root. Some times i unroot my phone just for the fun of rooting it again a different way. Rooting the phone doesn't automatically change the appearance of the phone. There are however a few apps that can help you do that but launchers are for unrooted phones and they are pretty good. There actually is an app called either "SuperUser" or "SuperSU". If you have this in your app drawer then you have root. DO NOT INSTALL EITHER OF THEM FROM THE MARKET. only if you know what you are doing do it.

To your third question "is CWM a way to root your phone?"

I will explain this in the guide on how to root your phone. But yes, you can root in CWM. i will show u how to root in CWM as a matter of fact.

To you 4th question "what is a ROM and what type of phone does it run on"

first of all, your question to this was said incorrectly. let me just clear something for you, there is one type of root access you can have. rooting your phone will just give you special permissions that the phone does not come with. so basically root helps you get EVERYTHING out of your phone that you want. also CWM is not a type of root, it is a recovery that will help you flash roms, kernels, themes, mods, etc. right now you are running on stock rom, which means you have the official android version for your phone. you can flash different ROMs and kernels but usually your rom comes with the recommended kernel.

for your 5th question "what is bricking your phone"

there are two ways of bricking your phone, soft brick and hard brick. Soft brick=not total trash, hard brick=your screwed. you can recover from soft brick but not form hard brick. bricking is just basically messing up your system files that lead to the road of scrwing up your phone. you dont really need to know about it if you do things correctly.

to your 6th question "how to restore to default or factory reset"

it is factory reset in android. factory reset will delte all info from your phones storage. so your internal sd card ( where all your files are) will be safe. also if you have an external sd card that also wont be touched. but you can format them by connecting your phone to your pc and right click and format if you want to. INSTRUCTIONS: go to settings<backup and reset<Factory Reset data. also if your phone is off you can boot into recovery and select factory reset from there. WARNING CWM is not touch enabled for most phones, so use your volume keys to move and power button to select.

HOW TO ROOT, THIS MIGHT MESSUP YOUR PHONE< YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED

1. Download odin (googel it) (attached)

2. download attached file ( corn kernel) DO NOT EXTRACT LEAVE AS IS

3. boot into download ( you have a galaxy note if i am correct) i think it goes like: power off, then wait 2 mins for everything to close. HOLD the HOME BUTTON, VOLUME DOWN BUTTON, AND POWER BUTTON UNTIL A SCREEN POPS UP. if this is you first time, there will be a warning warning you, press the VLOUME UP button to get rid of it. you will know be in download mode.it should say downloading

4. Open odin ( run as admin if on windows, idk why but the ppl i got this info said to)

5. connect your phone to your pc via usb cord. odin should say "added"

6. click pda tab DO NOT TOUCH ANYTHING ELSE, THAT WILL SOFT BRICK YOUR PHONE!!!!!

7. chose the corn kernel you downloaded in step two.

8. press start.

9. wait, odin should say "1 succeeded/0 failed"

10. wait a little longer until your phone FULLY REBOOTS, to do this i would recommend waiting 5 mins

11. shut off your phone again.

12. PRESS volume UP, HOME BUTTON, POWER BUTTON TO GET INTO RECOVERY

13. it should be in clock work mod recovery now.

14. go to advanced<and it should say "install super user and busy box (root)" go down there using your volume keys, select it with power button.

15. after it says done go back and hit reboot system now.

16. YOU WILL HAVE ROOT!