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Understanding Symbols

The drawings used in picture writing are called “symbols.” A symbol is a simple picture or drawing that stands for something else.

Picture Symbols

It’s easy to tell what a symbol means when it looks just like the thing it stands for.

Signs and Symbols

Sometimes symbols stand for things that you can’t really draw a picture of—like the equal sign (=). In this case, the symbol stands for an idea; everybody who understands basic math knows that = means “equals.” Here are a few examples of signs and symbols used in different subjects. How many do you know?