Roman Numerals - Rules, Chart | What Are Roman Numbers?

When you think about numbers nowadays, the first of all that springs to mind is the decimal system we utilize everyday. This method, however, is not the single approach to depict numericals. There are several methods used by various cultures worldwide that utilize all sorts of characters. One of system is Roman numerals.

Since ancient Rome, Roman numbers have been a way of writing numbers using a combination of letters from the Latin alphabet. It persisted throughout the Middle Ages and the modern day, to the point it is still educated in school, which is possibly why you have come across this article.

Now, we are going to look at Roman numbers, definition, how they operate, and how to transform Roman numbers to ordinary numbers.

What Are Roman Numbers?

Primarily, let's look at a brief look at the history of Roman numerals. Roman numericals were initially used by the historic Romans, as you might have expected from the name. They were utilized in several aspects of the Roman world, consisting of business, architecture, and even war.

Nowadays, its extensive use is primarily due to artistic reasons. You might have seen Roman numerals as hour marks on a clock, chapter numbers, page numbering, copyright dates, or in movie sequels (e.g., The Godfather Part II).

The Roman number approach represents numbers using a combination of letters from the Latin alphabet. Characters are combined to create groups that depict numbers. Seven characters, I, V, X, L, C, D, and M, depicts the numericals 1, 5, 10, 50, 100, 500, and 1000, respectively. You can then blend these numbers to depict any value in the number system.

Meaning of the Roman numerals

While the decimal system is based on the ideas of place value, Roman numerals are founded on linear and subtractive principles. This refers that a Roman numeral's numeric values are based on the sum of the values of its individual parts. One more major distinction is that the decimal system is established on the number 10. In contrast, Roman numerals are based on the numbers 1 (I), 5 (V) and 10 (X).

Examples

Let's look at a few practical examples of Roman numbers.

The electronic game street fighter IV was released in arcades back in 2008. If we look at the numericals in the name, we see it includes a V in it. This is due to the fact number 5 in Roman numerals is represented by the alphabet V. Preceded by it is an I, or 1. Therefore, we understand that this is the 4th entry in the series utilizing the properties we will speak on down the article.

The film Star Wars Episode VI was the last to enter the original trilogy. Looking at the value portrayed, it contains a V ensued by an I. Hence, we will include a 1 to the value of V, which is 5, letting us know this Star Wars film is the 6th entry in the franchise.

Roman Numerals Chart

To read Roman numbers, it is important to comprehend the numeric value of all the characters. To assist you make this function easy, here is a chart with every Latin letters with assigned numeric values.

How to Transform from Roman Numerals to Everyday Numericals

Since we have the convenient table of Roman numbers, we can use that data to transform numbers back and forth quickly. Following these steps, you will convert these values any time you want.

Steps to Convert Roman numbers to Everyday Numbers

To transform Roman numerals to regular numbers, we will utilize the cumulative and subtractive principles we discussed.

• Begin with the leftmost Roman numerical in the group.

• If the Roman number to its right is smaller in value, then add the two values.

• If the Roman numerical to its right is greater in value, deduct the Roman numeral on the right from the Roman numbers to its left.

• All you should do now is repeat this method until you arrive at the end of the Roman numeral group.

Let's check out how you can change Roman numbers with a some examples.

Example 1

Study the Roman numeral LXXVI.

• Initiate with the leftmost Roman numeral, which is L or 50.

• The Roman number to its right is X or 10. Since 10 is less than 50, we add the both values and get 60.

• The Roman numeral to the right of X is X again. We add 10 to 60 and find 70.

• The Roman numeral to the right of X is V or 5. Since 5 is less than 70, we add the two values and get 75.

• The Roman numeral to the right of V is I or 1. Since 1 is less than 75, we add the both values and get 76.

We halt here at the end of the Roman numeral group. Hence, the Roman numeral LXXVI is as same as the decimal number 76.

Example 2

Study the Roman numeral MCMIII.

• Start at the leftmost Roman numeral, which is M or 1000.

• The Roman number to its right is C or 100. Considering 100 is less than 1000, and it is ensued by an M, this value means 900.

• The Roman numeral to the right of M is I or 1. Considering 1 is less than 1900, we sum the both values and we find 1901.

• The Roman number to the right of I is I again. We add 1 to 1901 and the result is 1902.

• The Roman number to the right of I is I again. We add 1 to 1902 and we find 1903.

Since we have arrived the end of the Roman number group, we stop here with our result. Therefore, the Roman number MCMIII is equivalent to the regular number 1903.

With this data and a little practice, you will change Roman numerals to regular numbers like a pro!

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