# >> College & Higher Education >> Other Higher Education

How to Convert Roman Characters to Numbers

Roman characters (also known as Roman numerals) were the method of keeping track of numbers in ancient Rome, as opposed to Arabic numerals, which is what the modern world uses. Roman numerals are fairly easy to understand, as long as you keep track of the digits. In general, when converting Roman numerals to Arabic numbers, you simply add, although there are some notable exceptions.

Instructions

- 1
  Memorize the three most basic numerals, namely "I" (1), "V" (5) and "X" (10).
- 2
  Remember the larger numerals: "L" (50), "C" (100), "D" (500) and "M" (1000).
- 3
  Add the Roman numerals together to form the Arabic number. For example, "LIII" is 53, while "LXXXIII" would be 83. The exceptions to this rule are the 40s and 90s, which is noted below.
- 4
  Do not confuse 4 and 6! 4 is written "IV" and 6 is "VI." For example, "XXIV" is 24 and "LXXXVI" would be 86.

Special Education Certification Degrees

Why the Earth Rotates Around the Sun