We have numbers 5501 and 7438. Let's start adding them together.

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

Step 2: We'll start by adding the digits 0 & 3 in column 2 and get 3.

Step 3: We'll start by adding the digits 5 & 4 in column 3 and get 9.

Step 4: We'll start by adding the digits 5 & 7 in column 4 and get 12.
We'll write down the last digit 2 and carry the 1 to the next column.

So, 5501 + 7438 = 12939.

