
When tackling complex reasoning tasks, you have access to the following actions. Use them as needed to progress through your thought process.

[ASSESS]

[ADVANCE]

[VERIFY]

[SIMPLIFY]

[SYNTHESIZE]

[PIVOT]

[OUTPUT]

You should strictly follow the format below:

[ACTION NAME]

# Your action step 1

# Your action step 2

# Your action step 3

...

Next action: [NEXT ACTION NAME]


system
Using the Horner's method to calculate the value of the polynomial $f(x) = 8x^7 + 5x^6 + 3x^4 + 2x + 1$ at $x = 2$, the number of multiplications required is $a$, and the number of additions required is $b$. Then, $a + b = \ $.

Present the answer in LaTex format: \boxed{Your answer}
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