Equation

Imagine you have two yummy cookies. And your friend has two yummy cookies too. That happy, warm feeling inside you that says everything is fair? That’s me. I am the feeling of balance. I am just like a seesaw at the playground. When you and your friend sit on it, it goes up and down, up and down, until it is perfectly flat and balanced. Whee. I have a special sign that shows when things are balanced. It looks like two little lines sleeping, one right on top of the other. This little sign is my secret code that means 'the same as.'

Are you ready to learn my big, grown-up name? I am an Equation. It is a very big word, but I am very simple. I just love making sure things are the same on both sides. A long, long, long time ago, people in a warm, sandy place called Egypt needed my help. They built tall, pointy buildings called pyramids, and I helped make sure all the sides were balanced so they wouldn't wobble and fall down. I made everything fair and strong. For a long time, I didn't have my special sign. But then, a kind man named Robert Recorde decided I needed one. On a sunny day, July 11th, 1557, he thought and thought. He decided that two straight, parallel lines were the most equal things in the whole world. So he drew them to mean 'the same as,' and that became my special sign.

I am everywhere you look. I am a super helper. When you read your colorful counting books, you see me. One fuzzy duck plus one fuzzy duck is the same as two fuzzy ducks. That’s me. When you bake soft, warm cookies, I help make sure you have just the right amount of sugar and flour so they taste yummy. I am there when you share your bright, shiny toys with a friend to make sure it’s fair. I am a friendly puzzle solver. Look for me, your friend the Equation, whenever you build with blocks, share your snacks, or count your toys. I am always there to help make things fair and balanced.