But for the letter X besides X-mas, Xerox, X-ray, Xenophobia, and Xylophone there are no other words in the English language at least according to this dictionary. For X-mas it's not yet time, Xerox is a bit outdated, although that could fit on me, I don't suffer from xenophobia and I don't play a xylophone.
So I thought how much I suffered to learn the Roman numbers at school ! If you consider that a 10 is an X a 20 XX a 30 XXX and a 40 XXXX but a 50 is an L mathematics become rather difficult Imagine you have to write your birth date in roman numbers, it would take a lot of space. If you are born on a 30.10.1940 (or 10.30.1940) you have to write
XXX.X.MDXXXX or X.XXX.MDXXXX
Fortunately you only find roman numbers on historical buildings or on graveyards and you don't have to fill out your tax declaration in Roman numbers !
in documents from the Roman era, even within the same document. "Double subtractives" also occur, such as XIIX or even IIXX instead of XVIII. Sometimes V and L are not used, with instances such as IIIIII and XXXXXX rather than VI or LX
So we should be happy that nearly the whole world uses Arabic numbers Some racists will not be happy to know that they all calculate in Arabic numbers !
Big Ben in London stays with the Romans !
more participants at Jenny Matlock's Alphabet Thursday
Actually 40 in Roman numerals is XL. And if you were born on October 30th 1940 and would write it in Roman numerals it would be: X.XXX.MCMXL
ReplyDeleteHa ha that is so funny . I actually have the displeasure to know someone who fits that racist description ... A neighbor in our Florida home ... I can't wait to remind him that he is calculating with Arabic numbers! (He knows how I feel about his beliefs and I am sure he thinks my Liberal politics are as weird and horrible as I think his are).
ReplyDeleteI was born in year 1960 I believe in Roman Numbers it would be MCIX0.
ReplyDeleteOh well it doesn't matter some people aren't happy doesn't matter what.
Coffee is on
After reading your post, I am very appreciative of Arabic numerals. The horror of having to figure anything in Roman numerals. Shudder!
ReplyDeleteThe View from the Top of the Ladder