Public/Shared/Protected variables in VB.NET

Public means it is available to everything.
Shared means that the method/field belongs to the class rather than to an instance of the class.
Protected means it is available to the class in which it is declared and any derived classes.

let me see if i understand:

1 - if I declare a class / function or procedure/ variable as public, it means it's accessible through the whole projects.

2-if I  declare a function /procedure , variable as shared , it means that I can use them from another class without instanciating them.

3- if I  declare a function /procedure , variable as protected , it means that I can use them from another class but I should instanciating them.

1- Yes.
2 - Yes.
3 - No.

An example:

Public Class Base
    Protected name As String

End Class

Public Class Derived
    Inherits Base

    Public Sub New()
        Me.name = "Bob"       '// Can access name because Derived inherits from Base where name is declared protected
    End Sub
End Class

Public Class Other
    Public Sub New()
        Dim obj As New Base()
        obj.name = "Wilbur"             '// Cannot access "name" in Base because it is protected and we do not inherit from Base
    End Sub
End Class

I thought when you declare a class as public , other classes can use its methods and variables without declaring them as protected.