addition

Also known as adding, collecting, summing, summation, plus

right|thumb|upright=0.5|alt=Diagram: One column containing three apples, and another column containing two apples; put together, there are 5 apples in total.|3 + 2 = 5 with apples, a popular choice in textbooks

AI overview

Addition is the mathematical operation of combining two or more numbers or quantities to find their total. It matters because it's one of the most fundamental tools we use in everyday life, from counting objects to managing money and solving practical problems.

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Commons category: Addition

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~41 min read

Article

38 sections

Contents

Notation and terminology
Definition and interpretations
Combining sets
Extending a length
Properties
Commutativity
Associativity
Identity element
Successor
Units
Performing addition
Innate ability
Addition by counting
Single-digit addition <span class="anchor" id="Table"></span>
Carry
Decimal fractions
Scientific notation
Non-decimal
Computers
Addition of numbers
Natural numbers
Integers
Rational numbers (fractions)
Real numbers
Complex numbers
Generalizations
Abelian group
Linear algebra
Set theory and category theory
Related operations
Arithmetic
Ordering
In probability theory
See also
Notes
Footnotes
References
Further reading

Addition, usually denoted with the plus sign , is one of the four basic operations of arithmetic, the other three being subtraction, multiplication, and division. The addition of two whole numbers results in the total or sum of those values combined. For example, the adjacent image shows two columns of apples, one with three apples and the other with two apples, totaling to five apples. This observation is expressed as , which is read as "three plus two equals five".