Music theory employs Roman numerals in notation symbols. They can be seen in tables of contents and in manuscript outlines, as upper- and lower-case Roman numerals break information into an easily organized structure. Roman numerals are used in astronomy to designate moons and in chemistry to denote groups of the Periodic Table. They are also used in names of monarchs, popes, ships and sporting events, like the Olympics and the Super Bowl.
Today, Roman numerals appear in building cornerstones and movie credits and titles.
Eventually, Roman numerals gave way to the more versatile Arabic or Hindu numeral system, where numbers are read as a single number in sequence, like 435 as four hundred thirty-five.Īs the Roman Empire collapsed a thousand years later, Christianity (ironically one of Rome's earliest targets for persecution), continued to use the culture's number system. This hindered the ability to develop a universally understood, sophisticated math system, and made trading more difficult. For example, there is no symbol for zero, and there is no way to calculate fractions. For larger numbers in the thousands, a bar placed on top of the letter or string of letters multiplies the numeral's value by 1,000. You would instead write XCIX (XC + IX, or 90+9). You can subtract 1 from 10 (IX) but you cannot subtract 1 from 100 there is no such number as IC. You also cannot subtract a number from one that is more than 10 times greater. But following the rule, it instead is XIII, or 10 plus 3. It's easy to see how the reasoning would be: 15 minus 1 minus 1. XC equals 100 minus 10, or 90, so XC plus V, or 90 plus 5, equals 95.Īlso, only one number can be subtracted from another.
When it comes to subtracting amounts, only powers of 10 are subtracted, like I, X, or C, but not V or L. For example, do not use the same symbol more than three times in a row. There are a number of other rules related to Roman numerals. (Image credit: Michaela Stejskalova (opens in new tab) Shutterstock (opens in new tab)) A medieval clock in Prague, Czech Republic, has Roman numerals on its face.