In modern times the usage of Roman Numerals, one of the oldest mathematical systems, has been misconstrued and changed in an attempt to make things easier to understand. Today we can see Roman Numerals used in texts as a way to number pages or different points in a single page and also in our clocks. Though we rarely use them in arithmetic anymore, their presence is still very noticeable, if we take the time to look.

The Romans devised their numerical system based on letters from the alphabet. Instead of writing out the word for the number, they could now simplify by using a letter. One equals I, five is V, ten is X and so on. Reading roman numerals can sometimes be confusing because in today’s world we use a mixture of traditional Roman arithmetic to decipher the meaning of them along with Arabic systems where subtraction takes place. Nine for example is written as IX instead of VIIII.

Here are the numerals for one to twenty.

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

As you can see the system is somewhat flawed in the logic of using subtraction sometimes and addition other times. However, it has also allowed other forms of numerical systems to evolve into those that we know and understand today. The system follows much the same way all the way up to 100 and even after that you simply repeat one through ninety-nine with only a C in front of it. The best way to look large numbers is to break them into individual pieces as opposed to using them as whole which can become very confusing.