All About Roman Numerals - By Alex
The Roman numbers were introduced during the Roman Empire, around 900-800 BC. In this system, the numbers are indicated through letters. Numbers are formed through additions/subtractions rather than positions. Here is the correspondence between Arab numbers (the ones we use today) and the Roman numbers: 1=I; 5=V; 10=X; 50=L; 100=C; 500=D; 1000=M.
The Roman numbers are read from left to right. If a symbol is followed by a bigger number, the value of the first number is subtracted from the second. If a symbol is followed by a smaller number, the two numbers are added.
I will now give you some examples: 3=III, 16=XVI, 21=XXI, 35=XXXV, 45=XLV, 110=CX. You should try this yourself, it’s real fun! Today it is important to know the Roman numbers. They are still used to indicate centuries, book chapters and in ancient moments! They are also used in the periodic table of the elements.
Can you guess the Roman number represented in this picture? Note: A.D. is not part of the number!
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