# Is the equals sign an operator?

### Is the equals sign an operator?

Hello. I have recently seen on some site what the equals sign is an operator too, for example as the plus sign. And I know that = is an operator in programming, but I'm interested only in the mathematical definition of this sign. Generally, operators are formally any map from a set to a set. And If we map a set into itself, don't we use the equals sign? I mean: $1 = 1, 2 = 2, (y+2)/(y+2) = 1$, etc.
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### Re: Is the equals sign an operator?

= means that the both quantities equal.

For example:
0 = x - x

Or
2kg = 2000 gr.

2 = 2 is also true because the quantity of the left side is equal to the quantity of the right side.

a = 2
Means that a is 2.
Guest

### Re: Is the equals sign an operator?

= is an operator in programming only.
It is not an operator in mathematics.
In programming we write
a = 2
It means that we set a the value of 2.

But in mathematics we write
a = 2 that means that we have to replace a by 2 within an expression or
in the context of equations we know that a is 2 because otherwise it is not an equation.
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