What does "C" represent in Roman numerals?

World Languages · High School · Wed Jan 13 2021

Answered on

In Roman numerals, "C" represents the number 100.

Roman numerals were developed in ancient Rome and used throughout the Roman Empire for counting and trading. They are based on letters of the Latin alphabet to signify different numbers. Here's a brief list of the basic Roman numerals and their corresponding numbers:

- I represents the number 1. - V represents the number 5. - X represents the number 10. - L represents the number 50. - C represents the number 100, as mentioned. - D represents the number 500. - M represents the number 1,000.

These numerals can be combined to make other numbers. For instance, II represents 2 and III represents 3. When a smaller numeral is placed before a larger one, it's subtracted – so IV means 4 (5 - 1), and IX means 9 (10 - 1). When a smaller numeral is placed after a larger one, it's added – so VI means 6 (5 + 1), and XI means 11 (10 + 1). The same principle applies to larger numbers, for example, XC (100 - 10) represents 90, and CXL (100 + 40) represents 140. Roman numerals are not commonly used in everyday life for calculations but are still used for certain purposes, such as numbering the chapters of a book or the hours on a clock face.