The equals sign, which looks like two lines, one above the other, means "the same as" or "equal to." It's like saying apples are the same as apples, or 1+1 is equal to 2. It helps us to show that two things are exactly the same or have the same value. It's important to remember that when we use an equals sign, both sides of the sign are equal or the same. So if we write 2+3=5, we can say that two plus three is the same as five. The equals sign helps us to make sure that our math is correct and that everything balances out.