The representation of four in the modern Roman system is represented as follows: IV (five minus one: 5-1) Roman Numeral Symbolsīeing able to understand the symbols used when forming the numbers will help you understand the true meaning of the Roman numerals: Origin of Roman NumeralsĪs I have already mentioned, the origin of the Roman numerals has its origins in the Etruscan system. The representation of the number 4 in the Etruscan system is as follows: IIII (the sum of four ones: 1 + 1 + 1 + 1) A clear example of this symbology is the following: Over time it evolved into a subtractive system, where some symbols appeared that were used to subtract.
This numbering is based on an additive system, originally used in the Etruscan enumeration, and its main characteristic is that each symbol used (capital letters) has a numerical value and that it is added to the previous one. Know the value of the symbols of Roman numerals. This numbering system was developed in Ancient Rome and was used during the time of the Roman Empire and today it is used in some circumstances such as the numbering of volumes in encyclopaedias, to indicate the name of a monarch or a Pope, to number a century (XX century, XXI century), they are also used in clocks. The difference between the two is that Arabic numerals are based on a positional number system while Roman numerals use a combination system of some capital letters as symbols. In order to understand the Roman numeral, it must be differentiated from the one we use today, the Arabic numeral (Indo-Arabic numerals), which we will explain in another article.
Later I will try to develop a converter for Roman numerals and vice versa so that you know how to write a number in Roman numerals. Here you have roman numerals list and their equivalence to the numbers that we use.