Canadian Forces Aptitude Test (CFAT) Practice

Which number system uses combinations of letters from the Latin alphabet to represent values?

1. Binary

2. Decimal

3. Roman

4. Hexadecimal

The correct answer is: Roman

The correct answer highlights the Roman numeral system, which uniquely employs combinations of letters from the Latin alphabet to symbolize values. In this system, specific letters correspond to particular numerical values; for instance, 'I' represents 1, 'V' represents 5, 'X' signifies 10, and so forth. By combining these letters, larger numbers can be elegantly represented, such as 'VII' for 7 or 'MCMXC' for 1990. This representation stands out in contrast to numerical systems like binary or decimal, which rely purely on numeric digits, and hexadecimal, which incorporates both numbers and specific letters (A-F) to represent values but does not exclusively use the Latin alphabet in the same traditional sense as Roman numerals.