Why
IV on Some Clocks & IIII on Others
During
the reign of the French king
Louis XIV
(1638-1715) it is said that he prefered IIII
over IV on clock faces.
As a result he ordered all the clock makers in France
to only use IIII on
clock faces. We
still see the results of this decision today in that some
clocks have IIII
&
some have a IV.
NB
I find this a little bit funny as Louis is remembered
in history as Louis the XIV
rather than Louis the XIIII
So
why do you think king Louis made this decision? Does one
face look more symmetrical than the other? Are some numbers
harder to read? Does one clock face look more 'classy'
than the other? What do you think?
On
another note, the numerals used on a clock face don't
effect your ability to read a clock. Once you learn the
place of the numbers you tell time by using the shapes
the hands make & prior knowledge.
Extension
Activity
- Find pictures of both types of clock faces. Which is
the most common?
