Last updated on May 26th, 2025
To meet their daily commerce and administration needs, the ancient Romans developed Roman Numerals. It used a combination of seven symbols — I, V, X, L, C, D, and M to represent numbers. Roman numerals were used to record transactions, keep track of data, and label military units. In this topic, we are going to learn about the Roman numeral MXL.
Ancient Romans discovered that counting fingers could get very complicated after 10. So to overcome the complexity, the Roman numeric system was developed. This was widely used throughout Europe as a standard writing system until the late Middle Ages.
Seven symbols are used to represent numbers in the Roman numeric system — I, V, X, L, C, D, and M. The numerals are made up of different combinations of these symbols. MXL in Roman numerals can be written in number form by applying the subtraction and addition rules, i.e., MXL = 1040.
Let us learn more about the Roman numeral MXL, how we write them, the mistakes we usually make, and ways to avoid these mistakes.
When writing Roman numerals, there are a few rules that we need to follow based on the Roman numerals we are trying to write. In this section, we will learn about the rules when writing Roman numerals and how to represent them.
When a larger symbol is followed by a smaller symbol, we add the numerals to each other. For example, in VI, we have 5 + 1 = 6.
A symbol that is repeated three times in continuation increases the value of the numeral. For example, XXX = 30.
We use the subtraction method when a larger symbol follows a smaller symbol. For example, XL = 40 (which is 50 – 10).
Symbols cannot be repeated more than three times, and some symbols, such as V, L, and D cannot be repeated more than once. For example, 20 is represented as XX and not VV.
Let us learn about how to write MXL in Roman numerals. There are two methods that we can use to write Roman numerals:
The breaking down of Roman numerals into parts and then converting them into numerals is what we call the expansion method. The expansion method is the breaking down of Roman numerals into numerical form and adding them to get the final number.
Step 1: Break the Roman numerals into parts.
Step 2: Now write each of the Roman numerals with its numerical digit in the place value.
Step 3: Add the numerals together.
For MXL,
Step 1: First we break the Roman numerals. MXL = M + (L - X)
Step 2: Write the Roman Numerals for each part The Roman Numeral M is 1000 The Roman Numeral L is 50 The Roman Numeral X is 10
Step 3: Combine all the numbers M + (L - X) = 1000 + (50 - 10) = 1040. Therefore, the Roman Numeral MXL is 1040.
Using subtraction and addition rules, we will apply the grouping method. This means we break the Roman numerals into smaller groups, which makes it easier to work with. This method groups the Roman numerals logically, and then we write the numbers for each group.
Step 1: Take the largest number and write the number for that Roman numeral.
Step 2: Write the Roman numeral using the subtraction and addition rules
Example: Let’s take the Roman numeral MXL.
Step 1: The larger Roman numerals are what we will begin with. Once split, the Roman numerals we get are M and XL. The numeral for M is 1000
Step 2: Now we need to either add or subtract the smaller number, depending on its place. Here we subtract X from L and then add to M to get MXL. The Roman numeral XL is 40 Therefore, the numeral of MXL is 1040.
Students can make mistakes when studying Roman numerals. Here are a few common mistakes students make, and ways to avoid them.
Limitation Rule: There are some symbols that cannot be repeated more than once (V, L, D). For example, LVV for 60 is wrong, the correct answer is LX. Subtraction Method: A method used in Roman numerals where a smaller numeral precedes a larger numeral to indicate subtraction, such as XL for 40. Place Value: The position of a digit in a number, this position determines its value. For example, the number 1 in 1040 is in the thousand's place. Addition Method: When a larger numeral is followed by a smaller numeral, the values are added. For example, VI = 6. Roman Numerals: An ancient numeric system using letters of the Latin alphabet (I, V, X, L, C, D, M) to signify values.
Hiralee Lalitkumar Makwana has almost two years of teaching experience. She is a number ninja as she loves numbers. Her interest in numbers can be seen in the way she cracks math puzzles and hidden patterns.
: She loves to read number jokes and games.