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Last updated on February 19th, 2025
In ancient Rome, letters were used to represent numbers for easy calculation. Fixed letters are used to denote this numeral system. Even today, in many places, Roman numerals are used to denote royalty, book serial numbers, or clock faces. In this article, we will learn about Roman numerals and their applications.
III is the symbol used in Roman numerals to represent 3 . There are seven basic symbols in the system to represent particular numbers, such as:
I - 1
V - 5
X - 10
L - 50
C - 100
D - 500
M - 1000
As per these symbols, III represents 3 in Roman numerals. In this numeric system, there is no symbol for zero (0). In this article, we will learn about the numeral III and different methods to represent it.
Rule 1: Addition Method — In the addition method, you will combine different Roman numerals. When a smaller or the same number is placed after the larger number, we will simply add it - II (2) + I (1) = III(3)
Rule 2: Repetition Method — In this method, a Roman numeral can only be used up to 3 times to get a larger value
I - 1
I + I = 2
I + I + I = III (3)
we can’t write IIII for 4, it's IV (4)
Rule 3: Subtraction Method — From the , repetition method, we got to know that a symbol can’t be used more than 3 times, then how will we write 4? Here, we will use the subtraction method. If the smaller numeral is placed before the larger numeral, then you have to subtract the smaller numeral from the larger numeral. For example, if we take IV (4),the smaller numeral I (1) is subtracted from the larger numeral V (5) like - V (5) - I (1) = IV (4)
Rule 4: Limitation Rule - In Roman numerals we can't repeat a number more than 3 times, after that we have to use different symbols here you will use addition and subtraction methods. For example - we can't write 4 as IIII, instead we write IV (subtraction method subtracting I(1) from V(5) to get IV(4). For 10, we use X. Here, we can't use VV because there are specific letters assigned to the values, for example (V - 5, X- 10, L - 50, C - 100, D - 500, M - 1000) we have to use these symbols for the specific values. These rules make it easy for us to use the numeral system.
To write 3 in Roman numerals, we can simply write it as III . It can be done using two methods :
Expansion Method: In this method, we will break the Roman numeral into smaller parts based on their values and then add them. Here, XXVIII (28) is made up of 2 parts that are 20 and 8. 20 can be written as XX which can also be written as X + X. 8 can be written as VIII which can also be written as V + III. Now if we add it X + X + V + III = 28.
Grouping method - We look at the numerals and group them based on the rules of addition, subtraction, and repetition and add them. Example XIV
X - 10, IV - 4 (since I came before V we subtract 1 from 5).
Addition rule: When a smaller numeral is placed after a larger numeral or equal numeral, then it is said to be additive grouping. Example: II = 1 +1 = 2
Subtractive rule: When a smaller numeral is placed before a larger numeral, then it is said to be subtractive grouping. Example: IV = 5-1 = 4
Repetition: A numeral can be repeated up to 3 times, and not more than that. Example: III = 1+1+1=3, XXX= 10+10+10= 30.
The expansion method is about breaking the numbers according to their place values. Whether it is thousands, hundreds, and so on. Follow the steps given below for better understanding.
Place values such as hundreds and tens, are broken down first.
We will express the value as a Roman numeral.
We will then combine the values to get the correct numerals.
For instance,
XLIX : X = 10
L = 50
IX = 9
We can represent this as,
XL = 50 –10 = 40
IX = 10 – 1 = 9
So the expansion of XLIX is
40 + 9 = 49
In Roman numerals, large numbers are expressed through grouping methods. Here are a few grouping methods shown below:
First, we identify the Roman numerals that need to be added or subtracted.
Add or subtract the values of the smaller numerals.
Then add these values to get the desired Roman numeral.
For instance, XLIX:
XLIX = 49
XL = 50 - 10 = 40
IX = 10 - 1 = 9
Here we add: 40 + 9 = 49.
Combinations of numerals that represent specific values are what the grouping method focuses on.
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