How Did Anyone Do Math in Roman Numerals?

Re:How Did Anyone Do Math in Roman Numerals? by malnourish on Friday July 21, 2017 @11:37AM (#14821349)

I'm not 100% sure, but through anecdotal experience and from what I've read (although haven't vetted), we lose track of counters at ~8 of them. That is, III is easily discernable as 3 'I's, but take IIIIIIIII, and try to recognize how many 'I's are there immediately.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:How Did Anyone Do Math in Roman Numerals? by tathougies on Friday July 21, 2017 @11:47AM (#14821435)

That's why you group five I's into a V?

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:How Did Anyone Do Math in Roman Numerals? by lou1306 on Saturday July 22, 2017 @09:49AM (#14827186)

This, and another theory states that V is kind of similar to an open hand, i.e. five fingers, making it a convenient abbreviation. Consequently, X is just two V's joined at the vertex.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:How Did Anyone Do Math in Roman Numerals? by saghm on Friday July 21, 2017 @03:18PM (#14823130)

> we lose track of counters at ~8 of them

I must be below average in that regard; I never have trouble being able to distinguish the number of things when there are three or fewer, but it's somewhat difficult for me to tell four and five apart, and I essentially have to resort to manually counting for five and six.

[ Parent | on HN ]