Apart from telling sick jokes, Roman numerals really don't have much going for them. Adding CLXXVII to XXIII may be relatively straightforward, but try multiplying CLXXVII by XXIII or dividing CLXXVII by XXIII.
These days you see Roman numerals only in descriptions and references, such as sequels to films (e.g. Rocky III), dates on statues and public buildings, names of monarchs and popes (e.g. Elizabeth II), and also on coinage, general suffixes, sporting events (e.g. Superbowl XLIX), and copyright dates on movie credits and TV shows. And the odd sick joke!
So that you can work out for yourself the copyright date of that old movie you thought was rather corny, here are the very simple rules: (which I was taught before I left German primary school in MCMLX)
There are just seven Roman numerals:
I (1), V (5), X (10), L (50), C (100), D (500), and M (1000).
And there are just three simple rules:
- If a smaller numeral comes after a larger numeral, add the smaller number to the larger number
- If a smaller numeral comes before a larger numeral, subtract the smaller number from the larger number
- Do not use the same symbol more than three times in a row
The rule of not using the same symbol more than three times in a row means that the highest number in pure Roman numeral form is 3,999 - which is written as MMMCMXCIX - because the number 4,000 would have to be written as MMMM which would make for an even sicker joke.
