Stock Traders and Money Managers - I Need Help with a Question!

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Hi! I am learning about the stock market and doing my own trading. I've been watching Jim Cramer, reading books, and learning how to choose stocks. My question has to do with reading stock charts. Sometimes I read a stock quote and there is an "ask size" and a "bid size." Does the "ask size" always mean that a person has to buy that number of shares to purchase the stock at all? Or does that just mean that there is a seller offering that block of shares? This is confusing me and keeping me from researching companies in case I can't afford to buy the required number of shares, if that's what that means. I can't find the answer to this question anywhere. Can someone help me? Please? Thanks a bunch! :-)