Maths vocab question: when do two variables represent the 'same' value?
Let x be the number of biscuits in my left hand, and y the number of biscuits in my right hand.
If I have two biscuits in each hand, do x and y represent the same value, or are they still different 'things'?
In reply to @christianp
I'll add some context: I was writing about algebraic simplification. I wanted to say that x and y represent different values, so they can't be collected together, e.g. 'x+y" can't be rewritten '2x'. But x and y might *coincidentally* have the same value.
In reply to @christianp
So how do you describe the 'differentness' of x and y without talking about what they represent? They are different, but in what ways?