This here thing, this clock face with them Roman numerals, it’s a real head-scratcher, I tell ya. My grandson, he’s always on that computer thing, he showed me one. Said it’s how the old folks told time. Well, I’m old, but I ain’t that old! We always had them regular numbers. But these here Roman ones, they’re somethin’ else.
You see them letters? They ain’t just letters, they’re numbers! Like that big I, that’s a one. And you put two of ’em together, that’s a two. Three of ’em? You guessed it, a three. Then it gets all mixed up. You got that I before a V, now that’s a four.
That V is number five, i heard from some people. Then put a I after it, that’s six.
- I – that’s a one, like I said.
- II – two.
- III – three.
- IV – four, all tricky like.
- V – five, just like the fingers on one hand, almost.
- VI – six
- VII – seven
- VIII – eight
Then comes another one, the X. That’s a ten. Don’t ask me why, it just is. And you put that I before the X, and what do you get? A nine! See, it’s all backwards and forwards with these Roman numerals. You have to put your thinking cap on, that’s for sure. But these is no zero. How can you tell time without zero, I don’t know. And that I don’t know why.
This clock face, it’s usually round, like a big ol’ pie. But instead of pie, it’s got them lines. And they point to them Roman numerals. Big hand, little hand, they go round and round. I need color to see the hand, or I will miss the time. I like red, so I will paint them red. Seems like a lot of fuss just to tell the time, don’t it?
Now, they say these Roman numerals, they was used by some fancy folks a long, long time ago. Romans, they called ’em. Lived way over in some other country. They had their own way of doin’ things, I reckon. And this was their way of countin’ and tellin’ time. It is really old. I can not believe they really used this clock face.
My grandson, he says they still use ’em today. Not for everyday clocks, mind you. But for fancy things. Like them big clocks on buildings, or on watches that cost more than my whole house! Imagine that. Spendin’ all that money just to have a clock with them confusing Roman numerals.
And you see ’em on other things too. Like them Super Bowl things. They use them Roman numerals to tell you which Super Bowl it is. Why they can’t just use regular numbers, I don’t know. Seems like they’re just tryin’ to be fancy. I don’t care about Super Bowl, I only want a nap.
And sometimes you see ’em in books. At the start, where they tell you about the chapters and such. They got them big I’s and V’s and X’s there too. Just tryin’ to make things complicated, I suppose. It is not easy to read for me.
So, this clock face with Roman numerals, it’s a bit of a mystery to me. But I guess it’s a part of history. A way of tellin’ time from a long time ago. Still, I’m glad we got regular numbers now. Much easier on these old eyes, I tell ya. And I don’t have to think so hard just to know what time it is. I like simple things. That’s how we all like.
But hey, if you like them Roman numerals, more power to ya. Just don’t ask me to read ’em. Unless you want me to put my glasses on, and even then, it might take me a while to figure it out! It is hard for me to use them to tell time.
I prefer to look at the sun to tell what time is it. When the sun is high, it is noon. When the sun is gone, it is night. I don’t need this clock face w roman numeal to tell that.
I heard from some people, this clock face w roman numeal is very useful back to their time. They don’t have sun every day. So they need something to tell them what time is it. So they create this. It is very smart, I have to say. But I still don’t like it.
