Classification of incommensurables: Book 10 Proposition 69
Translations
Ἡ τῇ ῥητὸν καὶ μέσον δυναμένῃ σύμμετρος [καὶ αὐτὴ] ῥητὸν καὶ μέσον δυναμένη ἐστίν. Ἔστω ῥητὸν καὶ μέσον δυναμένη ἡ ΑΒ, καὶ τῇ ΑΒ σύμμετρος ἔστω ἡ ΓΔ: δεικτέον, ὅτι καὶ ἡ ΓΔ ῥητὸν καὶ μέσον δυναμένη ἐστίν. Διῃρήσθω ἡ ΑΒ εἰς τὰς εὐθείας κατὰ τὸ Ε: αἱ ΑΕ, ΕΒ ἄρα δυνάμει εἰσὶν ἀσύμμετροι ποιοῦσαι τὸ μὲν συγκείμενον ἐκ τῶν ἀπ' αὐτῶν τετραγώνων μέσον, τὸ δ' ὑπ' αὐτῶν ῥητόν: καὶ τὰ αὐτὰ κατεσκευάσθω τοῖς πρότερον. ὁμοίως δὴ δείξομεν, ὅτι καὶ αἱ ΓΖ, ΖΔ δυνάμει εἰσὶν ἀσύμμετροι, καὶ σύμμετρον τὸ μὲν συγκείμενον ἐκ τῶν ἀπὸ τῶν ΑΕ, ΕΒ τῷ συγκειμένῳ ἐκ τῶν ἀπὸ τῶν ΓΖ, ΖΔ, τὸ δὲ ὑπὸ ΑΕ, ΕΒ τῷ ὑπὸ ΓΖ, ΖΔ: ὥστε καὶ τὸ [μὲν] συγκείμενον ἐκ τῶν ἀπὸ τῶν ΓΖ, ΖΔ τετραγώνων ἐστὶ μέσον, τὸ δ' ὑπὸ τῶν ΓΖ, ΖΔ ῥητόν. Ῥητὸν ἄρα καὶ μέσον δυναμένη ἐστὶν ἡ ΓΔ: ὅπερ ἔδει δεῖξαι.
A straight line commensurable with the side of a rational plus a medial area is itself also the side of a rational plus a medial area. Let AB be the side of a rational plus a medial area, and let CD be commensurable with AB; it is to be proved that CD is also the side of a rational plus a medial area. Let AB be divided into its straight lines at E; therefore AE, EB are straight lines incommensurable in square which make the sum of the squares on them medial, but the rectangle contained by them rational. [X. 40] Let the same construction be made as before. We can then prove similarly that CF, FD are incommensurable in square, and the sum of the squares on AE, EB is commensurable with the sum of the squares on CF, FD, and the rectangle AE, EB with the rectangle CF, FD; so that the sum of the squares on CF, FD is also medial, and the rectangle CF, FD rational.