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

While you imagine numericals at present, the first of all that springs to mind is the decimal system we use everyday. This method, however, is not the single fashion to depict numericals. There are a lot of approaches utilized by various cultures worldwide that utilize all sorts of characters. Classified among many one of the approach is Roman numerals.

Since ancient Rome, Roman numbers have been a way of writing numericals utilizing a combination of letters from the Latin alphabet. It existed across the Middle Ages and the modern day, to the point it is still taught in school, which is probably why you have stumbled upon this blog.

Now, we are gonna to walkthrough Roman numerals, definition, how they work, and how to transform Roman numbers to normal numbers.

What Are Roman Numerals?

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

Presently, its extensive use is mainly attributed to artistic reasons. You may have observed Roman numbers as hour marks on a clock, chapter numbers, page numbering, copyright dates, or in movie sequels (e.g., The Godfather Part III).

The Roman numeral approach includes numericals utilizing a blend of characters from the Latin alphabet. Letters are mixed to create groups that represent numbers. Seven alphabets, I, V, X, L, C, D, and M, depicts the numericals 1, 5, 10, 50, 100, 500, and 1000, individually. You can then combine these numbers to portray any value in the numerical system.

Meaning of the Roman numerals

While the decimal system is based on the concept of place value, Roman numbers are established on linear and subtractive principles. This states that a Roman numeral's numeric values are founded on the sum of the values of its individual parts. One more important distinction is that the decimal approach is founded 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 interactive examples of Roman numbers.

The electronic game street fighter IV was released in arcades way back in 2008. If we observe the number in the name, we see it includes a V in it. This is due to the fact number 5 in Roman numerals is described by the letter V. Preceded by it is an I, or 1. Therefore, we comprehend that this is the 4th entry in the series employing the characteristics we will speak on subsequently in the article.

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

Roman Numerals Chart

To read Roman numbers, it is essential to get a grasp of the numeric value of all the characters. To guide make this operation easy, here is a chart with all Latin letters with allocated numeric values.

How to Change from Roman Numbers to Decimal Numbers

Since we have the useful table of Roman numerals, we can use that data to transform numericals back and forth simply. Following these steps, you will transform these values at any time.

Steps to Transform Roman numerals to Decimal Numericals

To change Roman numbers to everyday numericals, we will use the cumulative and subtractive principles we talked about.

• Begin with the leftmost Roman numerical in the group.

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

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

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

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

Example 1

Take a look at 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. Since 10 is lesser than 50, we add 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 numeral to the right of X is V or 5. Because 5 is less than 70, we add the two values and get 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 cease here at the end of the Roman number group. Consequently, the Roman number LXXVI is equivalent to the decimal number 76.

Example 2

Take into account the Roman numeral MCMIII.

• Begin with the leftmost Roman number, which 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 number to the right of M is I or 1. Considering 1 is less than 1900, we sum the both values and get 1901.

• The Roman numeral to the right of I is I again. We sum 1 to 1901 and we find 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 arrived the end of the Roman numeral group, we stop here with our result. Thus, the Roman numeral MCMIII is equivalent to the decimal number 1903.

With this information and a little practice, you will transform Roman numerals to decimal numbers like a professional!

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