A mathematical equation is an expression containing two mathematical objects connected by an equals sign (=) .[1][2][3][4] The equals sign says that both sides are exactly equal, or of the same value. An equation can be as simple as , or as complex as or harder.
There are two kinds of mathematical equations:
The second kind is often used to solve problems in which finding the value of some variables is involved. For example, if
The second kind of equation is used in algebra. For example, to solve the equation for , one would follow an algebraic rule to find that .
Equations can be classified by the types of operations and quantities involved. For example: