Why are Roman numerals not commonly used in writing numbers like the Hindu-Arabic numerals?

The correct answer is: The Roman numerals do not employ place value, so calculations are difficult to perform using these numerals.

Explanation:

1. Lack of Place Value System: The Hindu-Arabic numeral system is a positional base-10 system, meaning the position of a digit determines its value (units, tens, hundreds, thousands, etc.). Roman numerals, on the other hand, use an additive (and subtractive) system without positional place values.

2. Absence of Zero: Roman numerals do not have a symbol or representation for zero. Zero is essential in place-value systems to serve as a placeholder (e.g., distinguishing 1, 10, and 100).

3. Difficulty in Arithmetic Operations: Because Roman numerals lack place value and zero, performing basic arithmetic calculations such as addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division directly on paper using Roman numerals is extremely complex and cumbersome compared to Hindu-Arabic numerals.