What Does LV Mean in Roman Numerals?
The Roman numerals LV equals the number 55.
This is because the equation works out as L + V. Because the Roman numeral L equals 50 and the Roman numeral V equals 5, it means LV is 50 + 5 which equals 55.
The number 50, represented by the symbol L, and the number 5, represented by the symbol V, are two of the seven letters that can be combined (if necessary) and used to create the final number.
For reference, these seven letters are:
| Roman Numeral |
Number |
| I |
1 |
| V |
5 |
| X |
10 |
| L |
50 |
| C |
100 |
| D |
500 |
| M |
1,000 |
Because the smaller letter (i.e. the small number) comes after the bigger one – in this case V comes after L (5 comes after 50) it means that we add the smaller number to the bigger number to get 55.
It is worth pointing out that if the Roman numerals were reversed, i.e. VL, this would not be a correct Roman numeral. It may appear that this would equal 45 (L = 50 minus with V (5) taken away), but only the next letter down in the sequence of the list of seven above can come before a letter to mean it should be taken away. To clarify, VL and IL are not correct, only XL is correct (L = 50 minus X (10) taken away which equals 40. Rather than VL to make 45, the correct way of expressing the number 45 in Roman numerals is XLV, which is L – X + V (in other words, 50 – 10 + 5).
This taking away the smaller letter if it comes before the next larger one in the sequence is known as the subtractive principle. More explanation of this can be found on our Roman numerals page.
Plus of course, we not too long ago had Superbowl LV, which was the 55th Superbowl played at the culmination of the 2020 NFL season, which led to a lot of interest and searches for the Roman numeral LV that particular year!
Roman Numerals Converter Tool
To help you convert Roman numerals, please use the handy Roman numeral converter tool below. Why not type a number in, see what it equates to in Roman numerals, and then see if you can deconstruct it to work out why it is expressed like that in Roman numerals? Just don’t forget the subtractive principle!
Use the Roman numeral converter tool below to either convert a Roman numeral into a modern-day number, or vice-versa. Of course, this tool is only accurate up to the number 3,999... click here to find out why! It is particularly handy for finding out the date of when a particular movie was made if the date is in Roman numerals, or for finding out your birthday year in Roman numerals.
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Related Pages:
- Roman Numerals 1-100
- 99 in Roman Numerals
- Roman Clock Numerals
- IV Roman Numerals
- LIV Roman Numerals
- LVI Roman Numerals
- MMXXI in Roman Numerals
- IX Roman Numerals
- XXIV Roman Numerals
- XIX Roman Numerals
- XXI Roman Numerals
- XLIX Roman Numerals
- XXVI Roman Numerals
- XXVII Roman Numerals
- Roman Numerals Tattoo
- Roman Numeral Music Theory
- Did Gaius Marius Introduce the VII Roman Numeral?
- Examples of Roman Numerals in Ancient History
- The Role of Roman Numerals in Art and Architecture
- The Use of Roman Numerals in Astronomy
- The Use of Roman Numerals in Legal Documents
- The Super Bowl and Roman Numerals
- Roman Numerals and Computer Programs
Roman Numerals in The News:
Did you know...
The first evidence of zero is from the Sumerian culture in Mesopotamia, some 5,000 years ago. The symbol changed over time as positional notation, for which zero was crucial, made its way to the Babylonian empire and from there to India, and to the Greeks. The Romans had no trace of it at all.
