Roman numerals are a numeral system that originated in ancient Rome and use combinations of letters from the Latin alphabet to represent numbers. The system uses seven letters: I, V, X, L, C, D, and M, which stand for the values 1, 5, 10, 50, 100, 500, and 1000 respectively. Key features of Roman numerals include:
- Numbers are formed by combining these letters and adding their values.
- When a smaller numeral appears before a larger numeral, it is subtracted.
- When a smaller numeral appears after a larger or equal numeral, it is added.
- Letters can be repeated up to three times in succession to form numbers, but never more.
Examples:
- I = 1
- VI = 6 (5 + 1)
- XIV = 14 (10 + (5 - 1))
- MMXX = 2020 (1000 + 1000 + 10 + 10)
Roman numerals are still used today in certain contexts such as clock faces, book chapters, movie titles, and the numbering of events like the Olympics or Super Bowls.
