On clock faces, 4 is Expressed as IIII, not IV
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On clock faces, 4 is Expressed as IIII, not IV
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Re: On clock faces, 4 is Expressed as IIII, not IV
#2Instead of having an exception to the rule, make the exception the rule ->
It would have been great if IX was XIIII too.
Re: On clock faces, 4 is Expressed as IIII, not IV
#3Instead of having an exception to the rule, make the exception the rule -> It would have been great if IX was XIIII too.
I know you must mean VIIII
Re: On clock faces, 4 is Expressed as IIII, not IV
#4This has always been one of my go-to fun facts.
Re: On clock faces, 4 is Expressed as IIII, not IV
#5The third image they show uses IV.
Re: On clock faces, 4 is Expressed as IIII, not IV
#6Re: On clock faces, 4 is Expressed as IIII, not IV
#7But its not
Doc Brown can’t be wrong:
https://clickamericana.com/wp-content/uploads/Back-to-the-Fu...
Re: On clock faces, 4 is Expressed as IIII, not IV
#8This seems like a much better fleshed out exploration of this subject: https://monochrome-watches.com/why-do-clocks-and-watches-use...
Re: On clock faces, 4 is Expressed as IIII, not IV
#9The reason that I heard was that it was easy to mass-engrave a single plate:
VIIIIX
For each clock, you make 4 of these, and split each block into numbers the following way:
V IIII I X
VI III IX (mirror the IX for 11)
VII II IX
VIII IIX
This lets you mass produce watch numbers with a minimum of wasted material.
Re: On clock faces, 4 is Expressed as IIII, not IV
#10I wonder how much Roman numerals are even taught any longer. Maybe 5 years ago now I was traveling with a friend who went to a solid US suburban high school outside of a major city. Younger than me but certainly not young. And she asked me what a date written in Roman numerals was in the numbering system we normally use. I was somewhat floored.
Thinking about it though. It sort of is cultural/historical trivia. How many hours do you spend in school drilling how Roman numerals are constructed rather than teaching something else. I suppose it's nice enough for those who encounter them when traveling. But pretty far on the not-essential end of the axis.