Are both is equal to and equals similar in meaning? Which is the more natural? For example, one plus one equals two or one plus one is equal to two.
"Is equal to" or "equals" - English Language & Usage Stack Exchange
Equals is generally used unless using a verb "is" and the phrase "equal to". While reading 3 ft = 1 yd you would say "three feet equals a yard," or "three feet is equal to a yard".
Equals is correct, as is is equal to. There are some instances when one might use are, but that would be limited to when a quantity separates are from equal to, and would sound correct, but not necessarily be mathematically correct.
Equal, is equal to, equals, are equal to - English Language & Usage ...
But in the example in question, equals is not actually being used as a verb. When used as a verb, equals is used in the following manner: X equals Y. But here is a simplified version of the example sentence in question: They stood as equals. In fact, if you look at the heading Recent Examples on the Web: Noun, you'll see the following example:
"Equals" - a verb or not? - English Language & Usage Stack Exchange
This wrongly conflates 'Two plus two equals four' and 'Two plus two is equal to four'. In symbols, 2 + 2 = 4 The equals sign is equivalent to 'equals' (no matter whether the LHS, the preceding, is a single number or twenty) or 'is equal to' (no matter whether the LHS, the preceding, is a single number or twenty). It can be read out either way (the shorter way is, as you might expect, more usual).