We've got two numbers: 8978 and 8331. Let's find their sum.

Step 1: We'll start by adding the digits 8 & 1 in column 1 and get 9.

Step 2: We'll start by adding the digits 7 & 3 in column 2 and get 10.
We'll write down the last digit 0 and carry the 1 to the next column.

Step 3: We'll start by adding the digits 9 & 3 in column 3 and get 13.
We'll write down the last digit 3 and carry the 1 to the next column.

Step 4: We'll start by adding the digits 8 & 8 in column 4 and get 17.
We'll write down the last digit 7 and carry the 1 to the next column.

So, 8978 + 8331 = 17309.

