A balance scale: two different-looking things on the two pans, and the beam stays level because they weigh the same.
From the word’s history
Latin aequatio means 'an equalizing', from aequus, 'equal, level' — the word names the act of making two sides come out the same, which is exactly what the beam of a scale shows.
拉丁文 aequātiō 的意思是「把東西弄成相等」，來自 aequus（相等的、平的）。也就是說這個字原本描述的是一個動作——把兩邊拉到一樣——而不是紙上的那串符號。這解釋了為什麼 equation 除了數學算式，還可以指「把兩件事劃上等號」這個舉動。
本題提供的詞源資料（Wiktionary）：Old French ← Latin aequātiō（an equalizing）；構詞上是 equate + -ion
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原始詞典資料3 筆記錄
以下是外部詞典記錄的用法，摘錄並精簡格式，我們還沒有寫成教學內容。上面的說明才是我們自己寫的；有些用法可能上面已經講過了。
equationnoun/ɪˈkweɪ.ʒən/
- 1
The act or process of equating two or more things, or the state of those things being equal (that is, identical).
- We need to bring the balance of power into equation
- The cultural equation of love with suffering is similar to the equation of love with an experience of both transcendence and consummation in which love is affirmed in an ostentatious display of self loss.
- 2
mathematicssciencesAn assertion that two expressions are equal, expressed by writing the two expressions separated by an equal sign; in mathematical problems, equations describe various essential aspects of the problem, each of which contributes to the resolution of the problem in part.
- 3
astronomynatural-sciencesA small correction to observed values to remove the effects of systematic errors in an observation.
摘錄自 英文維基詞典 English Wiktionary，已精簡格式；依 CC BY-SA 4.0 授權使用，改動後的內容同樣以此授權提供。