The ancient Romans had a special way of writing numbers. They used capital letters! Roman numbers are called numerals. The Romans put different letters together to make different numbers.
If you put a letter after a larger one it means you add it.
Here is an example:
LV = 55
This means 50 (L) + 5 (V) = 55
50 + 5 = 55
If you put a letter before a larger one it means you take it away.
Here is an example:
XC = 90
This means you take 10 (X) away from 100 (C)
100 − 10 = 90
Let's practise some easy sums:
Example 1: LV + C = ?
Answer: 55 + 100 = 155
Example 2: CM − D = ?
Answer: 900 − 500 = 400