We all are aware of Roman Numerals.
| I – 1 | II – 2 | III – 3 | IV – 4 | V – 5 | VI – 6 | VII – 7 |
| VIII – 8 | IX – 9 | X – 10 | L – 50 | C – 100 | D – 500 | M – 1000 |
You might have seen these symbols in watches and clocks. Do you know how these symbols originated?
These symbols were started from the fingers of our hands
 I |  II |  III |  IIII |  V |
.
Next to get 6, 7, 8 and 9: 1, 2, 3 and 4 are added to 5
6 – VI, 7 – VII, 8 – VIII, 9 – VIIII and 10 – By two 5s (V and other inverted V)
Later on 4 (IV) and 9 (IX) were introduced by keeping I on left of 5 (V) and 10 (X) (Left means one less)
Larger Roman numerals were developed from other symbols.
M = 1,000 originally, the Greek letter phi – Φ – represented this value, which later on become CIƆ – which resembles M
D = 500 is half of 1,000 (CIƆ) i.e., IƆ which later on become D
C = 100, the original symbol was theta (Θ) and later become C. It is just coincidental, it stands for centum, the Latin word for a hundred.
L = 50 – this value was originally represented by a superimposed V and I, or by the letter psi – Ψ – which later flattened out to look like an inverted ‘T’, and then eventually came to resemble an L.
