What is addition?

Definition

Addition is the operation of adding one quantity to another.

In addition, the numbers added together are called addends. The result of an addition is called the sum.

Example

To know what the + and = symbols mean, see the Lexicon of Mathematical Symbols concept sheet.

How to add numbers with objects or drawings

Many types of objects can be used to represent numbers. For example, you can use toy cars, tokens, and pencils to help you with your calculations.

Example

4 + 3 = ?

I must add 3 balloons to 4 other balloons.

To find the total number of objects, I add the two quantities together.

I calculate 7 balloons in total.

Example

36 + 25 = ?

To add numbers with multiple digits, I start by adding the ones. If I have enough ones to form a group of 10, I regroup it to the tens place.
I add the tens and determine if a hundred can be made. There are 6 tens. Since I cannot make groups of 10 tens and there are no hundreds, I have finished the addition.

36 + 25 = 61