Basic addition is the process of combining two or more numbers to find their total sum. When adding numbers, we first align them by their place values - ones under ones, tens under tens, and so on. Then we add digits from right to left, starting with the ones place. If the sum in any column is 10 or more, we write down the ones digit and carry over the tens digit to the next column. Let's look at a simple example: 23 plus 45 equals 68.
Let's look at addition with carrying. When the sum of digits in a column is 10 or more, we need to carry over to the next column. For example, when adding 37 and 65, we first add the ones column: 7 plus 5 equals 12. We write down 2 in the ones place and carry the 1 to the tens column. Then we add the tens column including the carried 1: 1 plus 3 plus 6 equals 10. We write 0 in the tens place and carry the 1 to the hundreds place. The final sum is 102.
When adding multi-digit numbers, we follow the same process column by column, starting from the right. Let's add 254 and 387. First, we add the ones column: 4 plus 7 equals 11. We write down 1 and carry the 1 to the tens column. Next, we add the tens column including the carried 1: 1 plus 5 plus 8 equals 14. We write down 4 and carry the 1 to the hundreds column. Finally, we add the hundreds column including the carried 1: 1 plus 2 plus 3 equals 6. The final sum is 641.
When adding numbers with different numbers of digits, it's important to align them properly by place value. Let's add 125 and 43. First, we align the numbers so that ones are under ones, tens under tens, and so on. The number 43 has no hundreds digit, so we treat it as 043. Now we add column by column. Ones: 5 plus 3 equals 8. Tens: 2 plus 4 equals 6. Hundreds: 1 plus 0 equals 1. The final sum is 168.
Let's summarize what we've learned about basic addition. Addition is the process of combining numbers to find their total sum. When adding numbers, always align them by place value, with ones under ones, tens under tens, and so on. Add digits column by column, starting from the rightmost column. When the sum in any column is 10 or more, write down the ones digit and carry over the tens digit to the next column. Regular practice with addition problems will help build fluency and confidence with this fundamental math skill.