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

When you think about numericals nowadays, the first of all that pops in your head is the decimal method we use daily. This system, however, is not the single approach to represent numbers. There are a lot of systems utilized by distinct cultures worldwide that use all kinds of characters. One of method is Roman numerals.

Given that ancient Rome, Roman numerals have been a method of writing numericals using a mixture of characters from the Latin alphabet. It existed during the Middle Ages and the modern day, to the point it is still educated in school, that is probably why you have stumbled upon this post.

Today, we are gonna to look at Roman numerals, what they are, how they function, and how to transform Roman numerals to normal numbers.

What Are Roman Numerals?

Primarily, let's check a brief look at the past of Roman numbers. Roman numbers were initially utilized by the historic Romans, as you may have expected from the name. They were used in multiple angles of the Roman world, consisting of business, architecture, and even war.

Presently, its main use is mainly because of its artistic reasons. You might have seen Roman numbers as hour marks on a clock, chapter numbers, page numbering, copyright dates, or in film sequels (e.g., The Godfather Part III).

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

Meaning of the Roman numerals

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

Examples

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

The computer game street fighter IV was released in arcades back in 2008. If we observe the number in the title, we see it includes a V in it. This is due to the fact numerical 5 in Roman number is described by the letter V. Preceded by it is an I, or 1. Therefore, we grasp that this is the 4th to enter in the series utilizing the properties we will talk about subsequently in the article.

The movie Star Wars Episode VI was the last to enter the original trilogy. Observing the value described, it contains a V followed by an I. Hence, we will sum a 1 to the value of V, that is 5, comprehending this Star Wars film is the 6th entry in the series.

Roman Numerals Chart

To read Roman numerals, it is crucial to know the numeric value of all the letters. To assist you make this process easy, here is a chart with every Latin alphabets with allocated numeric values.

How to Transform from Roman Numbers to Decimal Numbers

Since we have the useful table of Roman numerals, we can use that information to transform numbers back and forth promptly. Following these steps, you will convert these values whenever you want.

Steps to Convert Roman numerals to Everyday Numericals

To change Roman numbers to decimal numbers, we will use the additive and subtractive principles we talked about.

• Start at the leftmost Roman numerical in the group.

• If the Roman numeral to its right is lesser in value, then sum the two values.

• If the Roman number to its right is greater in value, deduct the Roman numeral on the right out of the Roman numeral to its left.

• All you should do now is replicate this process until you arrive at the end of the Roman number group.

Let's check out how you can convert Roman numbers with a few examples.

Example 1

Take a look at the Roman numeral LXXVI.

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

• The Roman numeral to its right is X or 10. Because 10 is less than 50, we sum the two values and get 60.

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

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

• The Roman number to the right of V is I or 1. Considering 1 is less than 75, we add the both values and the result is 76.

We stop here at the end of the Roman number group. Consequently, the Roman numeral LXXVI is equivalent to the decimal number 76.

Example 2

Study the Roman numeral MCMIII.

• Initiate with the leftmost Roman numeral, which is M or 1000.

• The Roman numeral to its right is C or 100. Because 100 is less than 1000, and it is followed 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 add the two values and we find 1901.

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

• The Roman number to the right of I is I again. We sum 1 to 1902 and get 1903.

Since we have arrived the end of the Roman numeral group, we halt here with our answer. So, the Roman numeral MCMIII is equivalent to the regular number 1903.

With this knowledge and a some practice, you will transform Roman numerals to regular numbers like a professional!

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