Let's break this down. We're going to add 23 and 973 together.

Step 1: We'll start by adding the digits 3 & 3 in column 1 and get 6.

Step 2: We'll start by adding the digits 2 & 7 in column 2 and get 9.

Step 3: We'll start by adding the digits 0 & 9 in column 3 and get 9.

So, 23 + 973 = 996.

