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Reading Roman Numerals

Maths: Year 5 & 6 National Curriculum, topic 1.1.7

Reading Roman Numerals

Roman numerals are the numbers used by people in Roman times. Roman numerals are useful to help you understand numbers.

Roman numerals

Roman numerals

  • We can use the numbers 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9 to show any number.
  • The Romans used a different system.
  • The Romans used letters to show different numbers.
Letters for numbers

Letters for numbers

  • These are some of the Roman numerals used to count in Roman times.
Combining Roman numerals

Combining Roman numerals

  • The Romans used a combination of letters to represent different numbers.
  • E.g. the number 2 is shown as two 1s (II).
  • E.g. the number 3 is shown as three 1s (III).
  • E.g. the number 6 is shown as one 5 and one 1 (VI).
Making other numbers

Making other numbers

  • There is a special way to make numbers that have a place value digit is before a multiple of 5 (e.g. 4 and 9).
  • E.g. 4 is shown as 1 before 5 (IV)
  • E.g. 9 is shown as 1 before 10 (IX)
  • E.g. 40 is shown as 10 before 50 (XL)
  • E.g. 90 is shown as 10 before 100 (XC)

Big Numbers with Roman Numerals

You can show larger numbers using Roman numerals. You can show big numbers by building a number with the smaller numerals.

36 in Roman numerals

36 in Roman numerals

  • The number 36 is XXXVI in Roman numerals.
  • 36 = 30 (XXX) + 6 (VI) = XXXVI
345 in Roman numerals

345 in Roman numerals

  • The number 345 is CCCXLV in Roman numerals.
  • 345 = 300 (CCC) + 40 (XL) + 5 (V) = CCCXLV
1,678 in Roman numerals

1,678 in Roman numerals

  • The number 1,678 is MDCLXXVIII in Roman numerals.
  • 1,678 = 1,000 (M) + 600 (DC) + 70 (LXX) + 8 (VIII) = MDCLXXVIII
2,020 in Roman numerals

2,020 in Roman numerals

  • The number 2,020 is MMXX in Roman numerals.
  • 2,020 = 2,000 (MM) + 20 (XX) = MMXX

Test yourself on Reading Roman Numerals

  • How would you write '11' in Roman numerals?

  • How would you write '40' in Roman numerals?

  • What is the number represented by the Roman numeral 'IX'?

  • What is the number represented by the Roman numeral 'LI'?

  • What is the correct way to show 232 in Roman numerals?

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