A math statement that shows two things are equal, usually using an equals sign, like 3 + 2 = 5. People also use it more broadly to mean a situation where many factors must be balanced.
From Latin *aequationem* meaning 'a making equal', from *aequare* 'to make equal'. In mathematics, it became the standard term for statements of equality between expressions.
An equation is like a balanced scale made of symbols—whatever you do to one side, you must do to the other. The idea is so powerful that people borrow it for life problems: 'There are a lot of variables in this equation.' That metaphor quietly trains you to see decisions as things you can solve, not just suffer.
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