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

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Do you need to write 2011 using Roman numerals? It's easy!

2011 = MMXI

Note the fact that if you use the Roman system the numer 2011 cannot be considered "lucky" as it is sometimes believed when two parts of a given number add up to the same value, which is clearly the case if you stick to the Arabic numerals:

2+0 = 1+1

Superbowl numbers - Roman numerals

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And for all of you sports fans out there, Superbowl numbers in Roman numerals, truly one of the major sources of interest towards the ancient numeric system. Of course, the very first Superbowl did not have a number at first, but the rest of the sure did. I believe every Superbowl also had an official logo.

1              =                 I

2              =                 II

3              =                 III

4              =                 IV

5              =                 V

6              =                 VI

7              =                 VII

8              =                 VIII

9              =                 IX

10           =                 X

11           =                 XI

12           =                 XII

13           =                 XIII

14           =                 XIV

15           =                 XV

16           =                 XVI

17           =                 XVII

18           =                 XVIII

19           =                 XIX

20           =                 XX

21           =                 XXI

22           =                 XXII

23           =                 XXIII

24           =                 XXIV

25           =                 XXV

26           =                 XXVI

27           =                 XXVII

28           =                 XXVIII

29           =                 XXIX

30           =                 XXX

31           =                 XXXI

32           =                 XXXII

33           =                 XXXIII

34           =                 XXXIV

35           =                 XXXV

36           =                 XXXVI

37           =                 XXXVII

38           =                 XXXVIII

39           =                 XXXIX

40           =                 XL

41           =                 XLI

42           =                 XLII

43           =                 XLIII


Roman Numerals 1-25 ( I-XXV ) - a video

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Roman Numerals 1-25 are displayed in this video. Complete with the audio.

Roman Numeral 9 (and 4)

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It is usually assumed that the correct way of expressing number 9 in Roman numerals is IX. This assumption is generally correct, but very often you will see number 9 shown as VIIII. Although this looks quite strange and almost wrong to the modern eye, this was a completely valid way of writing 9 in Roman times. My theory is that using VIIII instead of IX creates a sense of a natural progression of numbers. If you decide to use this old convention for your own numbering purposes, make sure that instead of IV you use IIII for 4, otherwise the resulting numbers may look inconsistent.

Roman numerals: Present day uses

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I decided to enumerate (pun absolutely intended) all the uses of Roman numerals today. Granted, this will not be a complete list at first. I may never even get to the bottom of the issue, but this should be useful anyway...

  • Clocks
  • Sundials
  • Introductions, section numbers, volume numbers etc. in modern books
  • After the names of monarchs, popes and royally conceited individuals
  • Centuries
  • Dates on buildings
  • Dates in copyright information (movies, especially)

Home-made sundial clock with Roman numerals

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Sundials are typically associated with Classical Antiquity and for a good reason. They were widely used in Ancient Greece and Rome. The simplicity of their construction made them a lot more affordable than, for instance, clepsidras.  As a result, Roman numerals are still traditionally used on sundials. This particular one uses IV for 4, and not IIII as is often seen on mechanical clocks. I actually have encountered a book claiming that Ancient Romans never used IIII instead of IV, but clockmakers have somehow adopted this erroneous representation of number 4. Well, that is simply not true. At this time I am not going to provide any epigrapic evidence, but let me just mention that IV would have also been used as an abreviation for IVPITER, Jupiter. To avoid confusion it was quite reasonable to use IIII. I also believe that on a clock with 12 numbers IIII (And VIIII for 9, incidently) provides a better sense of progression of time (see Ucello's clock), because time is all about forward progress, while the more accepted variations of these numerals imply looking back and subtracting the first part of the compound numeral from the higher value of the second part. Well, you know what I mean. The sundial clock, however, is not capable of showing 12 hour time. It is possible that using classic forms for IIII and IV helps create a more balanced look. Anyway, here is how to make a sundial clock, as described by Archibald Williams in  Things Worth Making. Just remember that the present daylight savings time system has to be accounted for. Also, I would suggest picking a sundial motto, as it is quite customary in the business of sundial making.

A HOME-MADE SUNDIAL

 

A sundial is an interesting thing to have on a garden wall or the stump of a tree, or to set in a south-facing window. Ordinary flat and vertical sundials require the use of advanced mathematics; but that to be described is within the capacity of any handy person.

 

One begins by making a cross of thin metal. Brass, copper, zinc are all suitable; copper is the best. The cross may either be cut in one piece out of the sheet, or be compounded of a vertical piece and a cross piece riveted together at the point of crossing. The dimensions given in Fig. 44, a, are for a small dial, but they may be modified to suit individual fancy, provided that the circumferential length of the cross-piece B be the same as the distance between the centres of the holes in A. Mark off the cross-piece into twelve equal parts, and subdivide each of these into quarters or twelfths. The lines may be scratched or etched with acid. For the hours use the Roman numerals, which, being made up of straight lines, are very easily engraved.

sundial.jpg


When this has been done, bend both pieces to a truly semicircular shape. To get the curve correct one must cut out a cardboard circle with half its circumference equal to the length of the crosspiece piece and use it as a template. The exact diameter can best be arrived at experimentally. If copper or brass be used, anneal it by red-heating and plunging into cold water before it is bent.

 

As the pieces are easily distorted, if of thin metal, it is advisable to solder to the back of each a rib of the same metal, cut out with the aid of the template already made. One rib will have to be severed at the crossing-point to give room to the other rib, to which it should be soldered. If stout strip metal be used, this backing will be unnecessary, but in this case a wooden template had better be cut to the right curve to enable the shaping to be done accurately by hammering. After shaping, slip a piece of quite straight copper wire through the holes in A, and make them fast with solder.

 

The dial is now fixed facing the south (in our northern latitudes), with the wire sloping towards the north, and making with the horizontal an angle approximately equal to the latitude of the place --for London, about 51 1/2  degrees. To state the matter otherwise, the axis of the wire should point to the Pole Star. The orientation must be established accurately by a compass.


The dial is most easily fixed by means of a little wooden saddle crossing A, with a screw at each end penetrating either a horizontal base board (as shown) or the face of a wall -- in which case the saddle would occupy the position indicated by the dotted lines.

When consulting the dial at any time, add or subtract the noon difference for the day from the shadow reading to arrive at clock time. At most the noon difference is only about a quarter of an hour.




An old experiment with Roman numerals

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Robert Yerkes of Harvard reported the following experiment in Science XX, No 505

I have chosen ten well-educated, and in most cases scientifically trained individuals, and determined for each the time necessary for the writing of the Roman and the Arabic numerals from 1 to 100 and the number of errors made, also the time necessary for the reading of the Roman and the Arabic numerals from 1 to 100 when they were irregularly arranged so that the reader did not know what order to expect. In all cases the number of errors made unconsciously was recorded. These measurements furnish the following startling averages: It takes three and one third times as long to write the Roman numerals from 1 to 100 as the Arabic, and the chance of error is twenty-one times as great; it takes three times as long to read the Roman numerals from 1 to 11O as the Arabic, and the chance of error is eight times as great.

In case of a quick and accurate mathematician, whose familiarity with the Roman system
surpassed that of most of the individuals tested, the results were: time for writing
Arabics, 107, errors, 0; time for writing Romans, 357, errors, 5; time for reading Arabics, 62, errors, 2; time for reading Romans, 131, errors, 5. For one well-trained scientist, who has cause to use the Roman system almost every day, the number of errors in the rapid reading of the Romans was 151 These figures certainly indicate the desirability of using the Arabic system wherever there is no urgent need for the simultaneous use of two or more systems of numerals. Even if there were no saving of time and strain by the avoidance of the cumbersome Roman symbols, the far greater accuracy gained by the use of the Arabic system should at once settle the matter for all scientists.


Interesting results. I would like to note two things, however. The Roman system is slightly more aesthetically pleasing and even more appropriate in certain cases. In books, it allows to have separate pagination for the introductory part etc. Also, from the point of view of the information theory, the system that intrinsically involves using more symbols should be more redundant and less prone to transmission errors. I think that, above all, this experiment proves the need to learn Roman numerals and to develop better control over them.

Roman numerals chart

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I=1    V=5    X=10    L=50    C=100    D=500    M=1000






 
















I

1

 

XXXII

32

 

LXIII

63

 

XCIV

94

II

2

 

XXXIII

33

 

LXIV

64

 

XCV

95

III

3

 

XXXIV

34

 

LXV

65

 

XCVI

96

IV

4

 

XXXV

35

 

LXVI

66

 

XCVII

97

V

5

 

XXXVI

36

 

LXVII

67

 

XCVIII

98

VI

6

 

XXXVII

37

 

LXVIII

68

 

XCIX

99

VII

7

 

XXXVIII

38

 

LXIX

69

 

C

100

VIII

8

 

XXXIX

39

 

LXX

70

     

IX

9

 

XL

40

 

LXXI

71

 

EX.

 

X

10

 

XLI

41

 

LXXII

72

 

DI

501

XI

11

 

XLII

42

 

LXXIII

73

 

DL

550

XII

12

 

XLIII

43

 

LXXIV

74

 

DXXX

530

XIII

13

 

XLIV

44

 

LXXV

75

 

DCCVII

707

XIV

14

 

XLV

45

 

LXXVI

76

 

DCCCXC

890

XV

15

 

XLVI

46

 

LXXVII

77

 

MD

1500

XVI

16

 

XLVII

47

 

LXXVIII

78

 

MDCCC

1800

XVII

17

 

XLVIII

48

 

LXXIX

79

 

CM

900

XVIII

18

 

XLIX

49

 

LXXX

80

     

XIX

19

 

L

50

 

LXXXI

81

     

XX

20

 

LI

51

 

LXXXII

82

     

XXI

21

 

LII

52

 

LXXXIII

83

     

XXII

22

 

LIII

53

 

LXXXIV

84

     

XXIII

23

 

LIV

54

 

LXXXV

85

     

XXIV

24

 

LV

55

 

LXXXVI

86

     

XXV

25

 

LVI

56

 

LXXXVII

87

     

XXVI

26

 

LVII

57

 

LXXXVIII

88

     

XXVII

27

 

LVIII

58

 

LXXXIX

89

     

XXVIII

28

 

LIX

59

 

XC

90

     

XXIX

29

 

LX

60

 

XCI

91

     

XXX

30

 

LXI

61

 

XCII

92

     

XXXI

31

 

LXII

62

 

XCIII

93

     


One of the most curious uses for Roman numerals consists in rearranging the letters within a numeral in order to produce a recognizable word in Latin or some other language. I don't think that many actual numerals can be read as words without such rearrangement, but with some creativity interesting cases can be found. Such is VIXI, generated from XVII (17)

Claude Gagnière says in Au bonheur des mots:

    The Italians fear the 17's, because 17 is written XVII in Roman numerals, which is the anagram of VIXI, which means "I lived", i.e. "I am dead". In Italy, buildings do not have a 17th floor, hotels do not have a room 17, and Alitalia planes do not have a seat 17 [neither do Air Inter planes and British Airways Concordes]. When Renault marketed its R17 and wanted to export it to Italy, it had to be renamed "Renault 177". Napoleon Bonaparte, who was more Italian than French in his education, refused to give the signal for his coup on "vendredi 17 brumaire" and postponed it until the following day.


Roman Numeral Converter

Decimal ("What is the Roman numeral for...?"):

Roman ("What is this Roman numeral?"):

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