Let's break this down. We're going to add 7038 and 8968 together.

Step 1: We'll start by adding the digits 8 & 8 in column 1 and get 16.
We'll write down the last digit 6 and carry the 1 to the next column.

Step 2: We'll start by adding the digits 3 & 6 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 0 & 9 in column 3 and get 10.
We'll write down the last digit 0 and carry the 1 to the next column.

Step 4: We'll start by adding the digits 7 & 8 in column 4 and get 16.
We'll write down the last digit 6 and carry the 1 to the next column.

So, 7038 + 8968 = 16006.

