The public key is the number of the vault
public key =/= bitcoin address
Right. And the private key is not the combination to the lock on a vault. As I said it is a stupid oversimplification. Since the address is based on the public key, I stand by my "Bitcoin For Dummies in 100 Words Or Less"
Certainly,
And your analogy is a good one.
I was just suggesting that the number on the vault (the place where you "put the money") is the bitcoin address in your analogy, not the public key.
Of course, I suppose that would make it difficult to indicate where in the analogy the public key actually fits (since it is directly related to both the private key and the bitcoin address). Perhaps it's an index that allows you to identify which vault number is yours if you know a particular combination.