Solid geometry: Book 11 Proposition 12
Translations
Τῷ δοθέντι ἐπιπέδῳ ἀπὸ τοῦ πρὸς αὐτῷ δοθέντος σημείου πρὸς ὀρθὰς εὐθεῖαν γραμμὴν ἀναστῆσαι. Ἔστω τὸ μὲν δοθὲν ἐπίπεδον τὸ ὑποκείμενον, τὸ δὲ πρὸς αὐτῷ σημεῖον τὸ Α: δεῖ δὴ ἀπὸ τοῦ Α σημείου τῷ ὑποκειμένῳ ἐπιπέδῳ πρὸς ὀρθὰς εὐθεῖαν γραμμὴν ἀναστῆσαι. Νενοήσθω τι σημεῖον μετέωρον τὸ Β, καὶ ἀπὸ τοῦ Β ἐπὶ τὸ ὑποκείμενον ἐπίπεδον κάθετος ἤχθω ἡ ΒΓ, καὶ διὰ τοῦ Α σημείου τῇ ΒΓ παράλληλος ἤχθω ἡ ΑΔ. Ἐπεὶ οὖν δύο εὐθεῖαι παράλληλοί εἰσιν αἱ ΑΔ, ΓΒ, ἡ δὲ μία αὐτῶν ἡ ΒΓ τῷ ὑποκειμένῳ ἐπιπέδῳ πρὸς ὀρθάς ἐστιν, καὶ ἡ λοιπὴ ἄρα ἡ ΑΔ τῷ ὑποκειμένῳ ἐπιπέδῳ πρὸς ὀρθάς ἐστιν. Τῷ ἄρα δοθέντι ἐπιπέδῳ ἀπὸ τοῦ πρὸς αὐτῷ σημείου τοῦ Α πρὸς ὀρθὰς ἀνέσταται ἡ ΑΔ: ὅπερ ἔδει ποιῆσαι.
To set up a straight line at right angles to a given plane from a given point in it. Let the plane of reference be the given plane, and A the point in it; thus it is required to set up from the point A a straight line at right angles to the plane of reference. Let any elevated point B be conceived, from B let BC be drawn perpendicular to the plane of reference, [XI. 11] and through the point A let AD be drawn parallel to BC. [I. 31] Then, since AD, CB are two parallel straight lines, while one of them, BC, is at right angles to the plane of reference, therefore the remaining one, AD, is also at right angles to the plane of reference. [XI. 8]