The = sign in Python doesn't mean "equals" like in math.
It means "assign this value to this name." The right side gets evaluated first, then stored in the variable on the left. python x = 5 + 3 Python calculates 5 + 3 to get , then stores in x. The variable x now contains , not the expression " + ".
You can also assign one variable's value to another: y = x copies the value from x into y. After this, both variables hold , but they're independent. Changing one doesn't affect the other.