≈An approximate of something is what is logically similar to another thing but it is not equal to it. The word approximation has been taken from the Latin word “approximatus” which means “something which is very close, or near”. Any word related to it like approximately and approximate (of something) are all used in technical or scientific terms. The sign for approximately is ≈.
An abbreviation of this word can also be used in its place which is “approx”. Words like around or roughly are used in the same context as they have similar meaning. Apart from mathematics, it can be used to define other properties like an image or description. However, when it comes to mathematics, it is used for defining values and quantities which are closely related and similar but are not equal to each other.
Often, ≈ symbol is usually used to define digits and numbers but it is also applied to equations in mathematics to define certain functions and shapes etc. In other sense, a simpler way to understand it is that when a model is presented instead of an original one which is hard to use, then they are referred to as approximately equal to each other. It makes a calculation much easier. This symbol can also be used when the information is not complete and accurate representation is not available.