If the dots are above and below the equal sign it is an old symbol for

If the dots are above and below, it is an old symbol for “is approximately equal to”. Nowadays we use ≈ (backslash approx). The equal sign with two dots above and below it (≒) is called the "approximately equal to" symbol. What does the equal sign with two dots mean? I have seen this said about the equal sign with two dots, it meant almost equal to, or approximately equal to, I am not sure this is the answer you are seeking. If the two dots precede the equal sign, in pure math it serves to mean “is defined by”. The equal sign with two dots above it (≡) is called the "identical to" symbol. It indicates that two expressions are identical or equivalent in all cases, often used in mathematics and logic. This symbol can also represent congruence in geometry (for example, in modular arithmetic) or denote that two quantities are equal by definition. In programming and some formal languages, it might be used to indicate a definition or a strong form of equality. If you have a specific context in mind, let me know, and I can provide more tailored information! What does the equal sign with two dots mean? If you are referring to the two dots (i.e., a colon) appearing immediately after the equals sign, in some computer languages it means assignment of a value to a variable. So, in Pascal, for example, the statement: Counter := 1; is not stating that the variable named “Counter” is equal to 1, but it is saying, “From now, assign the value of 1 to ‘Counter’”; or “make it equal to that from now onward until some other command alters it again”. Hitherto, “Counter” may have been equal to something else, or may have been undefined (containing some random value because it has not been previously used). If you want to refer to simple equality without assigning a new value to a variable, such as in a statement like: “IF Counter = 5 THEN <do something or other>” then, as you can see here, the equals sign is used without the colon. This distinction may not be made in other computer languages, though, or may be made using different symbols.