# 4000 in Roman numerals [closed]

I found an online calculator (www.novaroma.org/via_romana/numbers.html) saying that $4000$ is $MMMM$ in Roman numerals. But I also found on the Finnish Wikipedia that it is denoted by $M\bar{V}$. Which is correct or both?

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## closed as off topic by Holdsworth88, Alexander Gruber♦, Fabian, Davide Giraudo, NamelessDec 31 '12 at 11:37

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Both could be considered to be correct. There's a convention when writing roman numerals that writing a bar above a symbol multiplies its value by 1000, so $\bar{V}$ represents 5000, and $M\bar{V}$ is 5000 minus 1000, which is 4000.

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is this conventione userd only in US highschools or was it already used in Ancient Rome? –  miracle173 Dec 31 '12 at 9:51
Overlines as multiplication with 1000, as well as extending the sequence D=|) and M=(|) with |)), ((|)) and so on for higher powers are known only since the middle ages (so that's still way before anyone would have thouhgt of founding a US high school). –  Hagen von Eitzen Dec 31 '12 at 10:08