MODULE 4: ROMAN MATHEMATICS

At the end you are expected to:

a) Determine the contributions of Roman Mathematics in the development of

mathematics;
b) Convert Roman Numeral to Arabic Numeral and vice versa; and
c) Manifest appreciation for mathematics as a dynamic field through sharing
of personal experiences of enlightenment relative to the evolution of the
different branches of mathematics.

Introduction

By the middle of the 1st Century BCE, the Roman had tightened their grip on the
old Greek and Hellenistic empires, and the mathematical revolution of
the Greeks ground to halt. Despite all their advances in other respects, no Reading and Writing Roman Numerals
mathematical innovations occurred under the Roman Empire and Republic, and
there were no mathematicians of note. The Romans had no use for pure Numbers are represented by combining the letters shown above. There are
mathematics, only for its practical applications, and the Christian regime that several rules to follow.
followed it (after Christianity became the official religion of the Roman empire)
even less so. 1. If one or more letters are placed after another letter of greater value, add
that amount.
Roman numerals are well known today and were the dominant number system
for trade and administration in most of Europe for the best part of a millennium. It VI = 6 (5 + 1 = 6)
was decimal (base 10) system but not directly positional, and did not include a
zero, so that, for arithmetic and mathematical purposes, it was a clumsy and XXVII = 27 (10 + 10 + 5 + 1 + 1 = 27)
inefficient system. It was based on letters of the Roman alphabet – I, V, X, L, C, D
and M – combines to signify the sum of their values (e.g. VII = V + I + I = 7). MDC = 1,600 (1,000 + 500 + 100 = 1,600)

Later, a subtractive notation was also adopted, where VIIII, for example, was 2. A letter cannot be repeated more than three times.
replaced by IX (10 – 1 = 9), which simplified the writing of numbers a little, but
made calculation even more difficult, requiring conversion of the subtractive 30 = XXX (10 + 10 + 10 = 30)
notation at the beginning of a sum and then its re-application at the end (see image
at right). Due to the difficulty of written arithmetic using Roman numeral notation, 40 = XL (50 - 10 = 40) You cannot write 40 as XXXX.
calculations were usually performed with an abacus, based on
earlier Babylonian and Greek abaci. 3. If a letter is placed before another letter of greater value, subtract that
amount.

IX = 9 (10 - 1 = 9)
XL = 40 (50 - 10 = 40) 4. Group: XXXXXVVIIII becomes LXIIII

CML = 950 (900 + 50 = 950) 5. Compact subtractives: LXIIII becomes LXIV, the final answer of 64

4. You can only subtract powers of 10 (I, X, C). We can perform subtraction using Roman Numerals using the following
method:
95 = XCV (100 - 10 + 5 = 95)
For instance, to subtract XXXVI (36) from XLIV (44):
You cannot write 95 as VC because V is not a power of 10.
1. Uncompact subtractives: XXXVI doesn't change, but XLIV becomes XXXXIIII
5. You cannot subtract more than one number from another number.
2. Eliminate common symbols: XXXXIIII - XXXVI = XIII - V (the red symbols can
18 = XVIII (10 + 5 + 1 + 1 + 1 = 18) be eliminated because they appear in both numbers)

You cannot write 18 as IIXX. 3. Ungroup symbols: To create more common symbols, ungroup the X into VV:
XIII - V = VVIII - V
By the way, there is no zero in the system of Roman Numerals.
4. Eliminate common symbols: VVIII - V = VIII
A few more complicated examples:
5. Compact subtractives: VIII doesn't change; we have a final answer of 8
o XCIX = 99 C = 100, but the preceding X is subtracted, so XC = 90 The
following IX, which = 9, is then added Abacus
o MCMXCIX = 1999 M = 1000 and CM = 1000 - 100 = 900, so MCM = 1900
That leaves us with XCIX: XC = 90, and IX = 9 The abacus is a calculating tool that was used to perform arithmetic long before
the written numeral system was established and is still in use today. The labeled
We can perform addition using Roman Numerals using the following abacus below shows the different components of the tool:
method:

1. Uncompact subtractives
2. Concatenate symbols
3. Sort symbols from high to low
4. Group lower value symbols into higher value symbols
5. Compact subtractives

For instance, to add XIX (19) and XLV (45):

1. Uncompact subtactives: XIX becomes XVIIII and XLV becomes XXXXV

2. Concantenate: XVIIII + XXXXV becomes XVIIIIXXXXV

3. Sort: XIIIIXXXXII becomes XXXXXVVIIII

Beads in the upper deck has a value of 5, whereas beads in the lower deck have You can see in these examples that the right-most column is the ones column; the
a value of 1. To count a bead, move it toward the beam that separates the two next column to the left is the tens column; the next is the hundreds column, and
decks. After you count 5 beads in the lower deck, you carry the result to the upper so on.
deck. Thus, both of the below representations equal the number 5:
To see how to perform addition on an abacus, first consider the following simple
examples:

Now consider a more complex example, 4 + 8. Go through the following steps, as

illustrated in the picture below:

After you count both beads in the upper deck, you carry the result (10) to the left-
most adjacent column. Both of the below representations equal the number 10.
The left representation shows the sum of 5 "one" units + 5 "one" units, whereas
the right representation shows the total of 1 "ten" unit:

1. Set 4 on rod B 2. Add 8

a) Rod B doesn’t have 8 available, so use complementary number; the

complementary number for 8 with respect to 10 is 2
b) Subtract 2 from 4 on rod
c) Carry 1 to tens rod A. 3. Thus, 4 + 8 = 12 becomes 4 - 2 + 10 = 12
 To see how to perform subtraction on an abacus, first consider the following
simple examples:

YOUR TURN
NAME: _____________________________ DATE: ______________________

COURSE/SECTION: __________________ SCORE: ____________________

Now consider a more complex example, 11 - 7. Go through the following steps, Problem 4.
as illustrated in the picture below:
1. Convert the following Roman Numeral to Arabic Numeral.

a. XL d. XCIV
b. LXXXI e. XLIII
c. LXXIII

2. Convert the following Arabic Numeral to Roman Numeral.

a. 79 d. 84
b. 40 e. 54
c. 126

3. Do the following Roman Numeral addition problems using the Roman

1. Set 11 on rods AB Numeral algorithm of uncompacting subtractives, grouping (concatenating,
sorting, and combining), and compacting with subtractives.
2. Subtract 7 a. IX + VIII
b. LII + CCXL
a) Since rod B only carries a value of 1, use the complement; the
complementary number for 7 with respect to 10 is 3 4. Do the following Roman Numeral subtraction problems using the Roman
b) Subtract 1 from the tens rod on A Numeral algorithm of repeatedly uncompacting subtractives and
c) Add the complementary 3 to rod B to equal 4 eliminating common symbols, and finally compacting with subtractives.
a. LXVIII - XII
3. 11 - 7 = 4 becomes 11 - 10 + 3 = 4 b. CXCII - LXIX

5. Convert the following abacus number representations into Roman

Numerals. Do not convert to Arabic; first write the expanded Roman
Numeral tally, and then compact using subtractives.
Example:
 6. Draw an abacus representation of the following Roman Numerals. Do not
convert to Arabic; first write the expanded Roman Numeral tally, then
transfer to the abacus.

a) XXIV
b) CDLV
7. In the diagram below, determine a) what numbers are being added or
subtracted, and b) how this was done using complement arithmetic.
Example:

a.

Now do the same for this diagram:

b.

JOURNAL ENTRY #4
In your journal, summarize Roman Mathematics. Write your reflection
c. about the topic in the end of the summary.

REFERENCES
A. THE STORY OF MATHEMATICS. Retrieved from https://www.storyofmathematics.com

B. Burton, D, The History of Mathematics: An Introduction 7 th Edition. 2011. 978-0-07-338315-5

C. Hodgkin, L. A history of Mathematics: From Mesopotamia to Modernity. Oxford University

Press. 2005. 0-19-852937