Roman Numbers

(This is the second page; click here for the first page)

In Roman numbers, these numbers would look like this:

314 = CCCXIV

26 = XXVI

1975 = MCMLXXV

2010 = MMX

What problems do you think this would cause for Roman children who were learning to multiply and divide, or even to add large numbers? Would you be able to borrow or carry using these numbers? Why or why not?

In fact, because it was so hard, Roman children, even the ones who went to school, didn't learn to multiply or divide big numbers on paper. They memorized their times tables, like you. For larger numbers, they learned to use a counting board, or an abacus. But a lot of multiplication and division was done by looking up the answer in a table, and most of it was done by specially trained experts, not by ordinary people.

First page of Roman Numbers
Indian numbers
Main Roman Science page

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