Vertical Addition: Solving 44 + 4 Step by Step

To solve this problem, we'll follow these steps:

• Step 1: Align the numbers $44$ and $4$ such that digits of the same place value (units) are below one another.
• Step 2: Add the digits in the units column. This means summing $4$ and $4$ to get $8$.
• Step 3: Check for carry over, if any, and add digits in the next column (tens column). In this case, there's no carry over needed, so just add the digit $4$ from $44$ with the implied $0$ from $4$ (tens place) to get $4$.
• Step 4: Combine the results. The tens place gives $4$ and the units place gives $8$, forming the number $48$.

Now, let's work through each step:
Step 1: Vertical alignment:
$\begin{array}{c} 44 \\ + 04 \\ \hline \end{array}$
Step 2: Units column $4 + 4 = 8$ (no carry over).
Step 3: Tens column $4 + 0 = 4$.
Step 4: Combining the tens and units results: the number is $48$.

Therefore, the sum of $44$ and $4$ is $48$. The correct choice from the provided options is choice $3$.