Re: Roman Numerals

From: gerard46 (gerard46_at_rtt.net)
Date: 08/01/04 

Date: Sun, 01 Aug 2004 04:34:17 GMT

| *** T. Winter wrote:
|> Will Twentyman writes:
|>> Some Dude wrote:
|>> 1. Question ============
|>>
|>> I know that there is a rule that if one smaller number stands in front
|>> of a bigger number, the small is substracted from the bigger one. (Ex:
|>> IX = 10-1 = 9)
|>>
|>> But I thought one could only substract the main numbers I, X and C and
|>> not the helper letters such as V, L and D.

|> You can only subtract I,X,C and only from a letter that has at most 10
|> times the value of the subtracted letter. You can't do IM, for example.

| Depends on the rules you are using. Your rules date from the 16th
| century or somesuch.

Exactly so. Also, at some (later) time, some Romans used IIXX for 18 and
I've even seen a photograph of it --- although I now can't remember what
the stone (which had the IIXX chiseled in it) was part of.

Also, towards the "end" of the common Roman numeral use, a lowercase "j"
was used instead of "i", and a "u" was used instead of "v". ______Gerard S.

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