1. The problem is to find the sum of the first 100 natural numbers: $1 + 2 + 3 + \cdots + 100$. 2. We use the formula for the sum of an arithmetic series: $$S_n = \frac{n}{2}(a_1 + a_n)$$ where $n$ is the number of terms, $a_1$ is the first term, and $a_n$ is the last term. 3. Here, $n = 100$, $a_1 = 1$, and $a_n = 100$. 4. Substitute these values into the formula: $$S_{100} = \frac{100}{2}(1 + 100)$$. 5. Simplify inside the parentheses: $$1 + 100 = 101$$. 6. Calculate the product: $$\frac{100}{2} = 50$$. 7. Multiply: $$50 \times 101 = 5050$$. 8. Therefore, the sum of the numbers from 1 to 100 is $5050$.