The column addition algorithm can be used for adding any number of addends, with any number of digits. The basic idea is to add the two numbers, and then regroup as necessary.

In column addition, you start by dividing the numbers up by place value, using vertical lines. You then add the numbers that are in each column. This is allowed, since each column only contains numbers of the same type (ones, tens, hundreds, etc.).

Once this is done, we need to regroup. Let’s consider the example 497 + 365, as seen in the infographic, gif, and video. When adding the tens column, we get 9 + 6 = 15. So we have 15 groups of 10. This is the same as having 1 group of 100 and 5 groups of 10. So we regroup, leaving the 5 in the tens column, and shifting the 1 to the hundreds column.

We continue this process, as we move further to the right. When adding the ones column, we get 7 + 5 = 12. So we have 12 groups of 1. This is the same as having 1 group of 10 and 2 groups of 1. So we regroup, leaving the 2 in the ones column, and shifting the 1 to the tens column. Finally, we have the solution: 862.