Equation

High school (ages 12+)
Mathematics & Numbers

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/equation

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the formal definition?A mathematical statement asserting the equality of two expressions
2. What is the symbol of equality?The equals sign (=), introduced by Robert Recorde in 1557
3. Why do we use the equals sign (=)?The equals sign looks like two parallel lines and shows that nothing is more equal than two equal lines. It makes math easier to read and write.
4. How did the equals sign get invented?In 1557, a mathematician named Robert Recorde thought two equal lines were the best way to show equality. He wrote them in a book and everyone started using them.

Expression: A mathematical phrase composed of numbers, variables, and operators.
Variable: A symbol representing an unknown or changing quantity.
Identity: An equation that is true for all possible values of its variables.
Conditional Equation: An equation that is true only for certain values of its variables.