Are football fans the only ones who understand Roman numerals anymore?

VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) – Footballs fans are ready for the biggest weekend of the year in the NFL — Super Bowl LIII is this Sunday.

But do you know which edition of the big game it is?

“It is 53! The ‘L’ is the Roman numeral for 50 and ‘I’ is the Roman numeral for 1, so 50 and 1 and 1 and 1, right?” Professor Len Berggren, a retired math historian, explained.

Roman numerals can be difficult for many people (who, ironically, often look them up using their iPhone X) so we enlisted the help of the good professor for a “letters as numbers” primer.

“The Romans used numerals in a more practical than theoretical way, for engineering projects and the demands of counting money and keeping records,” he told NEWS 1130. “They also used them in writing about astronomy and counting days, months and years.”

RELATED: Will Trump tweet a congrats? What will be Maroon 5’s first song? Super Bowl novelty bets available online

So, Roman numerals are great if you’re building an aqueduct or paying your centurions, but can you solve a mathematical problem using I, V, X, L, C and M?

“They did not use them for calculation. For that, they would use the abacus or some kind of counting board,” Berggren explained. “You would do the math problems on those and then you’d record the answer using Roman numerals.”

LISTEN: NEWS 1130’s Mike Lloyd is on the offbeat — and awfully excited about Super Bowl LIII

 

Given their limitations and the dwindling understanding of Roman numerals, the question is whether or not they are actually still relevant in modern day society.

“Yes! I mean you certainly wouldn’t write Elizabeth II as Elizabeth 2, or Pope Pius XII and Pius 12. And if you open up a book, lower case Roman numerals are used to number the pages of a preface,” he says.

“They really are used in many places today for recording numerals and certain naming conventions. I would urge people to keep their eye out and they might be surprised how often they see the I and the X and the C. They’re still alive and kicking.”

And, really, how else would you name a Super Bowl?

 – With files from Marcella Bernardo

Top Stories

Top Stories

Most Watched Today