Writing Roman Numerals

Date: 11/10/2003 at 16:31:41
From: Chris
Subject: How to write 3000 in Roman Numerals?

What is the correct way to write the number 3000 in Roman numerals?  
Can you write the answer as III with the bar over it (3 * 1000)?

Date: 11/10/2003 at 23:07:46
From: Doctor Jason
Subject: Re: How to write 3000 in Roman Numerals?

Hi Chris,

Thanks for writing to Dr. Math!
       ___
Though III technically does represent 3000, in Roman numerals there is
a value for 1000, which is the letter M.  The number 3000 is best
represented as MMM.  The bar is typically reserved for use in numbers
5000 and greater.

You may find the following website to be helpful in understanding the
rules to this system: 

  Know Your Roman Numerals
    http://www.legionxxiv.org/numerals/ 

There is also a Dr. Math FAQ page dedicated to this subject:

  Roman Numerals
    http://mathforum.org/dr.math/faq/faq.roman.html  

Here's a Roman number converter (converts both to and from):

  Lee's Roman Numberal Converter
    http://ablemedia.com/ctcweb/showcase/leesconverter.html 

Finally, as a fan of Roman numerals, I often watch movie credits to
see if the copyright date is shown as one, like this one from 1999:
MCMXCIX.  (Note that M is also used in this application.)  

- Doctor Jason, The Math Forum
  http://mathforum.org/dr.math/