Dr Tara Hayden
@drminimoonrocks.bsky.social
Postdoctoral Lunar Scientist | Artemis III Team Affiliate Member
Geologists rock, while planetary scientists are out of this world!
Geologists rock, while planetary scientists are out of this world!
I ran "head first" into that joke 🤣
March 8, 2025 at 4:58 PM
I ran "head first" into that joke 🤣
A mystery upon a mystery, this is great!
Sundials having IIII makes a lot more sense when considering Ancient Egyptian numerals, though it would be interesting to know if/why this would have been adopted when using Roman numerals for clocks.
Sundials having IIII makes a lot more sense when considering Ancient Egyptian numerals, though it would be interesting to know if/why this would have been adopted when using Roman numerals for clocks.
February 25, 2025 at 12:29 PM
A mystery upon a mystery, this is great!
Sundials having IIII makes a lot more sense when considering Ancient Egyptian numerals, though it would be interesting to know if/why this would have been adopted when using Roman numerals for clocks.
Sundials having IIII makes a lot more sense when considering Ancient Egyptian numerals, though it would be interesting to know if/why this would have been adopted when using Roman numerals for clocks.
In any case, this is why I love being a scientist. Focusing on the seemingly smallest (and not obvious!) detail, exploring the reasons behind it, and expanding my overall knowledge (along with those around me, this made for fun lunchtime conversation!)
a man in a tuxedo and suspenders is holding a baton and says science
ALT: a man in a tuxedo and suspenders is holding a baton and says science
media.tenor.com
February 25, 2025 at 2:48 AM
In any case, this is why I love being a scientist. Focusing on the seemingly smallest (and not obvious!) detail, exploring the reasons behind it, and expanding my overall knowledge (along with those around me, this made for fun lunchtime conversation!)
A number of other theories have been cited to explain why some clocks have IIII in place of IV. Check out this cool summary :
www.thewatchpages.com/why-do-clock...
www.thewatchpages.com/why-do-clock...
Why Do Clocks and Watches Use the Roman Numeral IIII Instead of IV? – The Watch Pages
Have you noticed that almost all clocks and watches with Roman numerals on the dial use IIII instead of IV? Here’s why.
www.thewatchpages.com
February 25, 2025 at 2:48 AM
A number of other theories have been cited to explain why some clocks have IIII in place of IV. Check out this cool summary :
www.thewatchpages.com/why-do-clock...
www.thewatchpages.com/why-do-clock...
Theory 3: Ease of Reading. In the middle ages where education was not as commonplace for the majority of the population, IIII as the literal number 4 (due to the number of lines) may have been used to respect everyone regardless of educational background.
a man in a red sweater is sitting in a chair with a book
ALT: a man in a red sweater is sitting in a chair with a book
media.tenor.com
February 25, 2025 at 2:48 AM
Theory 3: Ease of Reading. In the middle ages where education was not as commonplace for the majority of the population, IIII as the literal number 4 (due to the number of lines) may have been used to respect everyone regardless of educational background.
Theory 2: Mythology/Deity Reverence. The Roman God Jupiter was represented in Latin as IVPPITER. Romans avoided the use of IV on clocks or sundials so as to not insult the Gods.
a man in a red shirt is surrounded by clocks and says you wanna buy a sundial
ALT: a man in a red shirt is surrounded by clocks and says you wanna buy a sundial
media.tenor.com
February 25, 2025 at 2:48 AM
Theory 2: Mythology/Deity Reverence. The Roman God Jupiter was represented in Latin as IVPPITER. Romans avoided the use of IV on clocks or sundials so as to not insult the Gods.
Theory 1: Aesthetics. IIII looks more visually pleasing. Clocks were once considered a luxury and a centrepiece, where the appearance of the clock would be more important than accuracy.
a black and white photo of a clock with the word aliyas on the bottom right
ALT: a black and white photo of a clock with the word aliyas on the bottom right
media.tenor.com
February 25, 2025 at 2:48 AM
Theory 1: Aesthetics. IIII looks more visually pleasing. Clocks were once considered a luxury and a centrepiece, where the appearance of the clock would be more important than accuracy.
Looking into this, we have found several theories for why IIII is used in place of IV, and I thought these would be cool to share:
February 25, 2025 at 2:48 AM
Looking into this, we have found several theories for why IIII is used in place of IV, and I thought these would be cool to share:
Now I was thoroughly confused. After confirming the Roman numeral for 4 is indeed IV, I discussed this weird observation with friends. They had never noticed this on these clocks either.
February 25, 2025 at 2:48 AM
Now I was thoroughly confused. After confirming the Roman numeral for 4 is indeed IV, I discussed this weird observation with friends. They had never noticed this on these clocks either.
You can see in the photo, 4 is represented by IIII as opposed to IV (the standard roman numeral for 4). I thought it was odd but as the bus moved on, so did I. Until I saw it on a second clock the next street over.
February 25, 2025 at 2:48 AM
You can see in the photo, 4 is represented by IIII as opposed to IV (the standard roman numeral for 4). I thought it was odd but as the bus moved on, so did I. Until I saw it on a second clock the next street over.