The fact is that, except for isolated instances where a certain “flair” is required of a numbering system (such as in the aforementioned case of the Superbowl), Roman Numerals are not frequently used. Even when they are utilized in one form or another, it is usually for nothing more than listing things in a series (Star Wars, Episode IV), which means that the numbers very rarely become too unwieldy.
There are some exceptions to this, of course (there always are). Historically, dates have been listed using Roman numerals (any idea what happened in the year MLXVI?), and they appear quite regularly on the faces of analogue clocks.
Counting, When in Rome
While Rome of today may have adopted the Arabic numerals more common throughout the western world, Ancient Rome did not possess these numbers, and instead adapted parts of their alphabet to serve as their counting systems (adopted from the Etruscans). This was refined over the years until the Roman Numeral System known today was finally established during the middle ages.
Accepted Roman Numerals are as follows:
I = 1
V = 5
X = 10
L = 50
C = 100
D = 500
M = 1000
The Rules of the Numerals
Creating numbers using Roman Numerals is often just as easy as sticking enough of these letters together until they add up to the desired number, but there are some very basic rules to make this considerably easier.
First, one should always begin with the largest possible number. As an example, consider the number 3,564.
To find the appropriate Roman Numeral to represent this number, it is best to begin with the largest digit, which in this case is 3, standing for three thousand. In order to make 3,000 in Roman Numerals all one needs to do is list M three times: MMM.
Now for the second digit, 5, which stands for 500. That is easy: D.
This gives MMMD.
The next digit is only slightly more complicated, because to make 60 requires the use of two separate Numerals, L and X. This gives MMMDLX, which adds up to 3,560. Now all that is left is that final digit: 4.
In this final digit lies one of the most important rules of Roman Numerals: Making "four" is slightly more complicated than just putting for I's in a row. A 4 is merely the Roman Numeral for 5 preceded by the Roman Numeral for 1: IV (which can be read simply as 5 minus 1). So the final number is MMMDLXIV – which is both much more complicated and much more impressive than merely writing out 3,564.
The rule, then, is simple: No more than three of the same Roman Numeral should be used in sequence. To get around this, the rule is that when a large number is preceded by a smaller one (such as in IV), then the smaller number is subtracted from the larger one.
This final rule of Roman Numerals can also be used for larger numbers: To make 900 all one needs to do is write CM (which means 1000 minus 100, much easier than writing DCCCC). 90, likewise, is simply XC.
Now, there are still more rules to Roman Numerals which have been established over the years in order to make easier the writing of larger numbers. For example, putting a bar over a numeral is often used to indicate multiplication by 1000 (so M with a bar above it would equal one million). There are rules for creating fractions in Roman Numerals, as well, but those are very rarely (if ever) used today.
Roman Numerals are very easy to learn, and it truly does not take very much effort to master the simplest rules for using them (though most people never get around to it), but it can be very rewarding come Superbowl Sunday.
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