Equals Sign

Atheism 

Belief that no God, gods, divine beings, or supernatural phenomena exist 

"Is a man merely a mistake of God's? Or is God merely a mistake of man?" - Friedrich Nietzsche, philosopher 

The idea of gods, the divine, or supernatural agents is often closely related to very basic, driving questions. Who created the universe? How did we come to be here? For the atheist, the answer does not rely upon a supernatural or divine basis. Atheism allows for the possibility that there is no divine, godly answer to our questions. (page 100)

Agnosticism 

Belief that it is impossible to know if the supernatural, including God, exists

"Who knows for certain? ... None knoweth whence creation has arisen ..." - The Rig-Veda, Hindu scripture 

In modern times, people often use "agnostic" to denote those who describe themselves as being unsure about whether a God exists. 

Agnosticism expresses skepticism, especially regarding the extent of human comprehension. It is also a statement that it is immoral to believe in something that has no basis, or to assert an answer to an unanswerable question. (page 100)

(Excerpts from 1001 IDEAS THAT CHANGED THE WAY WE THINK, published by Hachette India [An Hatchette UK company]/Impulse; hardbound; colour/color illustrations; 960 pages; ₹ 2,295. I bought this wonderful illustrated encyclopedia from a young Impulse book agent who came to My house and gave Me a heavy discount. Equally interesting entries include Equals Sign, Drama, Tragedy, etc. - G)

The above explanations of atheism and agnosticism sound very funny to Me. Immoral? Ha ha ha!!! (Hachette sounds like hatchet - hatchette is a female hatchet?!! Ha ha ha!!! Good joke!!! An Hatchette? Like an honest, an hour, an honourable/honorable - h is silent in Hatchette!!! Ha ha ha!!!)

Kishalay Sinha [G]

Equals Sign 

The shorthand use of two parallel lines that revolutionized mathematics 

"To avoide the tedious repetition of ... is equal to: I will ... use, a paire of paralleles." - Robert Recorde

In 1557, Welshman Robert Recorde (c. 1510-58) grew weary of writing "is equal to" in his treatise on advanced mathematics and introduction to algebra, The Whetstone of Witte. The shorthand symbol that he devised is the two parallel lines familiar to those with the most rudimentary of mathematical knowledge: the equals sign. This symbol makes otherwise abstract mathematical ideas clear and the discovery of unknown quantities in algebra possible.

... the equals sign took many years to find a place in mathematical texts; seventeenth-century mathematicians were partial to ae, representing the Latin aequalis (equal).

The state of being equal, indicated by the presence of the equals sign, is an indispensable concept in basic mathematics and algebra. In fact, an equation could be argued to be the most basic notion in all of mathematical thinking: figures on either side of an equals sign are of the same value. Both sides of the equation can be simultaneously manipulated (by dividing, subtracting, or adding, for example) with the intent of "solving" the unknown in the equation. Most laws of physics are expressed most clearly through equations such as, Newton's First Law of Gravitation. (page 332)

(Excerpts from 1001 IDEAS THAT CHANGED THE WAY WE THINK, Hachette India; hardbound; 960 pages.)

Kishalay Sinha [G]