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jeffcoat | 5 years ago

  MCMLXVII + LXV
   = MCCCCCCCCCLXVII + LXV (canonicalize)
   = MCCCCCCCCCLXVIILXV    (concatenate)
   = MCCCCCCCCCLLXXVVII    (sort)
   = MCCCCCCCCCLLXXXII     (combine, VV => X)
   = MCCCCCCCCCCXXXII      (... keep combining, LL => C)
   = MMXXXII               (... C{10} => M, nothing left to combine)
   = MMXXXII               (optionally, look for ways to re-write with the subtraction rule)

discuss

order

philwelch|5 years ago

I originally thought canonicalize was an important step, but it actually isn’t for humans. For humans, CCCCCCCCC requires a lot more tedious counting than CM or even DCCCC, leading to more errors than simply allowing the human to notice that CM+C=M.

bluesign|5 years ago

I think the practical way of thinking would be:

- seeing L + L = C and converting CM to M ( basically striking L L and C )

- then V + V = X, ( striking Vs and add an X)

Then write whats left:

MMXXXII

Then try to re-write.