The product of difference and sum of two natural numbers is 1996. How much is the sum of these two natural numbers?

The product of difference and sum of two natural numbers is 1996. How much is the sum of these two natural numbers?

The sum and difference of two natural numbers have the same parity
1996 = 2 × 998
So, the difference between the two numbers is 2, and the sum is 998, so it becomes a sum difference problem
The two numbers are: (2 + 998) △ 2 = 500500-2 = 498