Editing Pentadic numerals (section)

{{Short description|Notation for presenting numbers}}
'''Pentimal system''' is a notation for presenting numbers, usually by [[inscription|inscribing]] in wood or stone. The notation has been used in [[Scandinavia]], usually in conjunction to [[rune]]s.

The notation is similar to the older [[Roman numerals]] for numbers up to 9 ''(I - IIIIV)''. Unlike the Roman notation, the [[Tick (checkmark)|tick]]s are placed vertically on a stem or ''stav'' of the rune. the number 4 is represented by four horizontal lines on the stem, 5 is represented by what looks like an inverted letter [[U]]. 10 is represented by two U's opposing each other. Numbers up to 19, or even 20, can be represented by a combination if I's and U's.

The widest use of the notation is in presenting the [[golden number]]s, 1 - 19 on [[Runic calendar]]s, also known as ''[[clogs (calendar)|clogs]]''). The numbers are commonly found in [[Modern Age]] and possibly [[Early Modern Times|Early Modern Age]]. It is unknown if they were in use in the [[Middle Ages]], let alone in the [[Viking Age]]. On older runic calendar, a different notation for representing the golden numbers was used; the 16 letters of [[Younger Futhark]] represented the numbers from 1 to 16 with three special runes used for the numbers 17 to 19. The ''[[Computus Runicus]]'', originally from [[1343]] put collected and published by [[Ole Worm]] in the 17th century used this notation.

Most [[runic text]]s, including the Viking age [[runestone]]s use no [[number system]], instead numbers are simply spelled out.