This document provides an introduction to chromosomes and key chromosome concepts. It discusses that chromosomes are packages of DNA and protein that occur in distinct numbers in each species. In humans there are 46 total chromosomes, including 23 pairs of homologous chromosomes and an XY or XX sex chromosome pair that determines gender. The document contrasts karyotypes, which show a cell's chromosome arrangement, of normal human cells versus abnormal cells and explains the differences between diploid and haploid cell types.