Sunday 10 January 2016

Roman numbers

Did you know that we still use ancient Roman numbers nowadays?

Romans used to use letters to write numbers: I is one, V is five, X is ten, L is fifty, C is a hundred, D is five hundred and M is a thousand.

Today we use them for example next to Kings' or Queens' names (Elisabeth II, Richard III) or to count movies. Today I went to see Star Wars VII!

Watch out, there are rules to follow: Forty is not XXXX, it is XL (fifty minus ten because ten is to the left of fifty). 6O (fifty plus ten) is LX.

Other examples:
  • Ninety is XC.
  • CCCCXXI means 421.
  • This year we are in MMXVI (2016).
  • MMMMDCXLII is 4642.

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