Okay, we are tasked with adding 4990 and 1981. Let's begin!

Step 1: We'll start by adding the digits 0 & 1 in column 1 and get 1.

Step 2: We'll start by adding the digits 9 & 8 in column 2 and get 17.
We'll write down the last digit 7 and carry the 1 to the next column.

Step 3: We'll start by adding the digits 9 & 9 in column 3 and get 19.
We'll write down the last digit 9 and carry the 1 to the next column.

Step 4: We'll start by adding the digits 4 & 1 in column 4 and get 6.

So, 4990 + 1981 = 6971.

