Roman Numerals - Laws, Chart | What Are Roman Numerals?

When you think about numericals at present, the first thing that springs to mind is the decimal system we use daily. This system, however, is not the only fashion to represent numbers. There are a lot of approaches utilized by various cultures worldwide that use all kinds of characters. One such approach is Roman numbers.

Since ancient Rome, Roman numbers have become a method of expressing numbers utilizing a combination of characters from the Latin alphabet. It existed during the Middle Ages and the modern day, to the extend it is still learned in school, which is possibly why you have stumbled upon this post.

Now, we are going to walkthrough Roman numerals, what they are, how they operate, and how to change Roman numbers to regular numbers.

What Are Roman Numerals?

Primarily, let's look at a quick look at the history of Roman numerals. Roman numbers were first used by the ancient Romans, as you might have predicted from the name. They were utilized in multiple angles of the Roman world, including business, architecture, and even warfare.

Currently, its widespread use is primarily due to aesthetic reasons. You might have seen Roman numbers as hour marks on a clock, copyright dates, page numbering, chapter numbers, or in film sequels (e.g., The Godfather Part III).

The Roman number system includes numericals utilizing a blend of letters from the Latin alphabet. Letters are combined to form groups that depict numericals. Seven characters, I, V, X, L, C, D, and M, represent the numericals 1, 5, 10, 50, 100, 500, and 1000, separately. You can then blend these numericals to represent any value in the numerical system.

Meaning of the Roman numerals

While the decimal system is founded on the concept of place value, Roman numerals are based on cumulative and subtractive principles. This means that a Roman number's numeric values are based on the sum of the values of its individual parts. One more important difference is that the decimal approach is based on the number 10. In comparison, Roman numerals are based on the numericals 1 (I), 5 (V) and 10 (X).

Examples

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

The electronic game street fighter IV was released in arcades as early as 2008. If we look at the number in the name, we see it includes a V in it. This is because the numerical 5 in Roman number is represented by the letter V. Preceded by it is an I, or 1. Therefore, we understand that this is the 4th entry in the series using the characteristics we will talk about down the article.

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

Roman Numerals Chart

To read Roman numerals, it is crucial to get a grasp of the numeric value of all the characters. To guide make this function easy, here is a chart with every Latin characters with allocated numeric values.

How to Convert from Roman Numbers to Everyday Numbers

Considering we have the useful table of Roman numbers, we can utilize that information to transform numericals back and forth quickly. Following these steps, you will convert these values any time you want.

Steps to Convert Roman numerals to Everyday Numericals

To convert Roman numbers to everyday numericals, we will use the cumulative and subtractive principles we went through.

• Begin with the leftmost Roman numeral 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 higher in value, deduct the Roman number on the right out of the Roman numbers to its left.

• All you should do now is repeat this method unless you reach the end of the Roman numeral group.

Let's see how you can convert Roman numerals with a few examples.

Example 1

Consider the Roman numeral LXXVI.

• Start at the leftmost Roman number, that is L or 50.

• The Roman number to its right is X or 10. Considering 10 is lesser than 50, we sum the both values and get 60.

• The Roman number to the right of X is X again. We sum 10 to 60 and the result is 70.

• The Roman number to the right of X is V or 5. Since 5 is less than 70, we add the both values and the result is 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 we find 76.

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

Example 2

Study the Roman number MCMIII.

• Begin with the leftmost Roman numeral, that is M or 1000.

• The Roman numeral to its right is C or 100. Considering 100 is less than 1000, and it is followed by an M, this value stands at 900.

• The Roman numeral to the right of M is I or 1. Because 1 is less than 1900, we add the both values and the result is 1901.

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

• The Roman numeral to the right of I is I again. We add 1 to 1902 and the answer is 1903.

Because we have reached the end of the Roman number group, we stop here with our result. So, the Roman number MCMIII is equal to the regular number 1903.

With this knowledge and a little practice, you will convert Roman numbers to decimal numbers like an expert!

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