The equation "5 plus 5 plus 5 equals 550" can be interpreted as a playful manipulation of numbers rather than a traditional arithmetic operation. By placing the numbers together creatively, you can form the equation as follows: if you write "5" and "5" and "5" as "5 + 5 + 5," and you interpret it as "5" concatenated with "5" and "5," it visually resembles "550." Thus, it plays with the idea of representation rather than conventional addition.