why there are no number zero in roman numerals

The absence of a symbol for zero in Roman numerals is a result of historical and practical reasons connected to the numeral system's development and use in ancient Rome:

1. Conceptual Development: The concept of zero as a placeholder or a number in its own right was not established in Roman numerals during their development. Zero, as we understand it today, was crucial for the place-value system to function effectively, but this understanding did not exist in the ancient Roman world.

2. Mathematical Practices: Ancient Romans had different ways of representing quantities and often used letters, words, or combinations thereof to represent numbers. When they needed to express a 'zero' or an absence of quantity in a sequence of numerals, they might simply leave a space or use a different representational convention.

3. Influence from Other Cultures: The concept of zero was developed by mathematicians in India and later adopted by the Islamic world before reaching Europe. This concept was not integrated into Roman numerals because it was introduced long after the Roman Empire fell, and by that time, the numeral system was already established.

4. Use Cases: Roman numerals were primarily used for counting, not for arithmetic operations or scientific calculations where zero plays a critical role. In simple counting, there was less need for a zero symbol since the context usually made it clear when a number was absent.

5. Adaptation and Evolution: Over time, numeral systems have evolved based on changing needs and influences from other cultures. Roman numerals have changed little since ancient times, reflecting their origin rather than later mathematical innovations.

6. Place Value: The absence of zero in Roman numerals is related to the lack of a defined place value system. Each Roman numeral represents a specific quantity based on its symbol, and there was no need to differentiate between a "ten" and "no tens," unlike in our base-10 system where zero plays a crucial role in delineating place values.

7. Numeral System Limitations: The design of Roman numerals is fundamentally different from our current base-10 (decimal) system, which relies heavily on the concept of zero for calculations and representations.

While Roman numerals are a fascinating example of an early numbering system, their limitations became more apparent as mathematical and scientific knowledge advanced, leading to the adoption of Arabic numerals and the inclusion of zero in modern number systems.