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Roman Numerals: Charts, History and Numerology: History of Roman numerals Archives

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One look at any mathematical formula in Roman numerals is enough to realize that to use this system for anything complex would be extremely difficult, if not impossible. It takes forever to simply right down most numbers! The truth is, the Romans were not overly patriotic when it came to number systems. All the feats of engineering, temples, arenas and palaces would have never become a reality were it not for the ample use of Greek numerals! Roman engineers and scientists were usually either Greeks or Greek-educated Romans (sometimes completely bilingual). The Greek system was much more versatile, compact and well suited for any calculations known to Ancient mathematicians.

What made Roman numerals easy to use?

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When modern students are faced with having to learn the Roman system they often wonder how on earth anyone ever found this number notation convenient for any sort of calculations. The answer is actually rather simple. Yes, Roman numerals are not great for complicated calculations. However, they were extremely convenient when they were used at the time of their origin. Imagine having to carve Arabic numerals on wood or bark. Now imagine achieving the same objective using Roman numerals. The difference is striking. All the letters used in the Roman system can be carved with a few simple cuts: I, V, X, L, < (for C), |> (for D), M. There is evidence that a similar system was still used in the 19th century, in some rural communities in Italy, by shepherds who needed to keep track of their flocks. By the way, the simplicity of these symbols may indicate that they are not related to the Latin alphabet, but are rather independent of it, except perhaps C and M, which are probably dependent on the Latin words centum (one hundred) and mille (one thousand).


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