I've seen a process like this in a proof: $$\sum_{k,l}|I_{k,l}|=\sum_k\sum_l|I_{k,l}|$$ and it says we can't do this if the summands are not positive numbers. I thought the left side is an abbreviation of the right side, but something's more in this I guess.
What exactly is $\sum_{k,l}$? and $\cup_{k,l}$? How should I understand these?