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Last updated on February 28th, 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 CMXXI.
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. CMXXI in Roman numerals can be written in number form by adding and subtracting the values of each Roman numeral, i.e., CMXXI = 921.
Let us learn more about the Roman numeral CMXXI, 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 up to three times increases the value of the numeral. For example, XXX = 30.
We use the subtraction method when a smaller symbol precedes a larger 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. For example, 10 is represented as X and not VV.
Let us learn about how to write CMXXI 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 involves breaking down Roman numerals into numerical form and adding or subtracting 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 and subtract the numerals together.
For CMXXI,
Step 1: First, we break the Roman numerals. CMXXI = C + M + X + X + I
Step 2: Write the Roman Numerals for each part.
The Roman Numeral C is 100
The Roman Numeral M is 1000
The Roman Numeral X is 10
The Roman Numeral I is 1
Step 3: Combine all the numbers with subtraction where necessary. C + M + X + X + I = 1000 - 100 + 10 + 10 + 1 = 921.
Therefore, the Roman Numeral CMXXI is 921.
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 CMXXI.
Step 1: The larger Roman numerals are what we will begin with. Once split, the Roman numerals we get are CM and XXI. The numeral for CM is 900
Step 2: Now we need to either add or subtract the smaller number, depending on its place.
Here we add XXI to CM and we will get CMXXI. The Roman numeral XXI is 21 Therefore, the numeral of CMXXI is 921.
If a treasure map gives clues in Roman numerals, and the first clue is CMXXI and the second clue is CCL, find their total value in Roman numerals.
A historian finds two ancient artifacts marked with CMXXI and DL. What is the difference in their values in Roman numerals?
A manuscript describes a division of CMXXI by VII. What is the result in Roman numerals?
A puzzle requires finding the product of CMXXI and II. What is the result in Roman numerals?
Translate the Roman numeral CMXXI into its decimal form.
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.