Let's solve this addition problem. We have 7040 and 8597, and we need to add them together.

Step 1: We'll start by adding the digits 0 & 7 in column 1 and get 7.

Step 2: We'll start by adding the digits 4 & 9 in column 2 and get 13.
We'll write down the last digit 3 and carry the 1 to the next column.

Step 3: We'll start by adding the digits 0 & 5 in column 3 and get 6.

Step 4: We'll start by adding the digits 7 & 8 in column 4 and get 15.
We'll write down the last digit 5 and carry the 1 to the next column.

So, 7040 + 8597 = 15637.

