In stark contrast, the modern Western number system, which is a game-changing advancement brought to Europe by Arabic scholars around the 10th century CE, is a positional base-10 system utilizing a crucial zero placeholder.[1] [2] The classical Roman method is non-positional and relies heavily on additive aggregation (for example, VI=5+1=6).
To convert a Roman numeral to a standard number, we interpret its symbols from left to right: we either add the values or employ the more compact, modern subtractive notation (for example, IV instead of IIII for 4).
The classic Roman system peaks at 3,999, only reaching 3,999,999 through the use of the vinculum (an overline that acts as a ×1,000 multiplier). Try out the conversion tool below to translate your numbers between the different systems! 🧮