Triangles, parallels, and area: Book 1 Proposition 29
Translations
Ἡ εἰς τὰς παραλλήλους εὐθείας εὐθεῖα ἐμπίπτουσα τάς τε ἐναλλὰξ γωνίας ἴσας ἀλλήλαις ποιεῖ καὶ τὴν ἐκτὸς τῇ ἐντὸς καὶ ἀπεναντίον ἴσην καὶ τὰς ἐντὸς καὶ ἐπὶ τὰ αὐτὰ μέρη δυσὶν ὀρθαῖς ἴσας. Εἰς γὰρ παραλλήλους εὐθείας τὰς ΑΒ, ΓΔ εὐθεῖα ἐμπιπτέτω ἡ ΕΖ: λέγω, ὅτι τὰς ἐναλλὰξ γωνίας τὰς ὑπὸ ΑΗΘ, ΗΘΔ ἴσας ποιεῖ καὶ τὴν ἐκτὸς γωνίαν τὴν ὑπὸ ΕΗΒ τῇ ἐντὸς καὶ ἀπεναντίον τῇ ὑπὸ ΗΘΔ ἴσην καὶ τὰς ἐντὸς καὶ ἐπὶ τὰ αὐτὰ μέρη τὰς ὑπὸ ΒΗΘ, ΗΘΔ δυσὶν ὀρθαῖς ἴσας. Εἰ γὰρ ἄνισός ἐστιν ἡ ὑπὸ ΑΗΘ τῇ ὑπὸ ΗΘΔ, μία αὐτῶν μείζων ἐστίν. ἔστω μείζων ἡ ὑπὸ ΑΗΘ: κοινὴ προσκείσθω ἡ ὑπὸ ΒΗΘ: αἱ ἄρα ὑπὸ ΑΗΘ, ΒΗΘ τῶν ὑπὸ ΒΗΘ, ΗΘΔ μείζονές εἰσιν. ἀλλὰ αἱ ὑπὸ ΑΗΘ, ΒΗΘ δυσὶν ὀρθαῖς ἴσαι εἰσίν. [καὶ] αἱ ἄρα ὑπὸ ΒΗΘ, ΗΘΔ δύο ὀρθῶν ἐλάσσονές εἰσιν. αἱ δὲ ἀπ' ἐλασσόνων ἢ δύο ὀρθῶν ἐκβαλλόμεναι εἰς ἄπειρον συμπίπτουσιν: αἱ ἄρα ΑΒ, ΓΔ ἐκβαλλόμεναι εἰς ἄπειρον συμπεσοῦνται: οὐ συμπίπτουσι δὲ διὰ τὸ παραλλήλους αὐτὰς ὑποκεῖσθαι: οὐκ ἄρα ἄνισός ἐστιν ἡ ὑπὸ ΑΗΘ τῇ ὑπὸ ΗΘΔ: ἴση ἄρα. ἀλλὰ ἡ ὑπὸ ΑΗΘ τῇ ὑπὸ ΕΗΒ ἐστιν ἴση: καὶ ἡ ὑπὸ ΕΗΒ ἄρα τῇ ὑπὸ ΗΘΔ ἐστιν ἴση. κοινὴ προσκείσθω ἡ ὑπὸ ΒΗΘ: αἱ ἄρα ὑπὸ ΕΗΒ, ΒΗΘ ταῖς ὑπὸ ΒΗΘ, ΗΘΔ ἴσαι εἰσίν. ἀλλὰ αἱ ὑπὸ ΕΗΒ, ΒΗΘ δύο ὀρθαῖς ἴσαι εἰσίν: καὶ αἱ ὑπὸ ΒΗΘ, ΗΘΔ ἄρα δύο ὀρθαῖς ἴσαι εἰσίν. Ἡ ἄρα εἰς τὰς παραλλήλους εὐθείας εὐθεῖα ἐμπίπτουσα τάς τε ἐναλλὰξ γωνίας ἴσας ἀλλήλαις ποιεῖ καὶ τὴν ἐκτὸς τῇ ἐντὸς καὶ ἀπεναντίον ἴσην καὶ τὰς ἐντὸς καὶ ἐπὶ τὰ αὐτὰ μέρη δυσὶν ὀρθαῖς ἴσας: ὅπερ ἔδει δεῖξαι. Αἱ τῇ αὐτῇ εὐθείᾳ παράλληλοι καὶ ἀλλήλαις εἰσὶ παράλληλοι. Ἔστω ἑκατέρα τῶν ΑΒ, ΓΔ τῇ ΕΖ παράλληλος: λέγω, ὅτι καὶ ἡ ΑΒ τῇ ΓΔ ἐστι παράλληλος. Ἐμπιπτέτω γὰρ εἰς αὐτὰς εὐθεῖα ἡ ΗΚ. Καὶ ἐπεὶ εἰς παραλλήλους εὐθείας τὰς ΑΒ, ΕΖ εὐθεῖα ἐμπέπτωκεν ἡ ΗΚ, ἴση ἄρα ἡ ὑπὸ ΑΗΚ τῇ ὑπὸ ΗΘΖ. πάλιν, ἐπεὶ εἰς παραλλήλους εὐθείας τὰς ΕΖ, ΓΔ εὐθεῖα ἐμπέπτωκεν ἡ ΗΚ, ἴση ἐστὶν ἡ ὑπὸ ΗΘΖ τῇ ὑπὸ ΗΚΔ. ἐδείχθη δὲ καὶ ἡ ὑπὸ ΑΗΚ τῇ ὑπὸ ΗΘΖ ἴση. καὶ ἡ ὑπὸ ΑΗΚ ἄρα τῇ ὑπὸ ΗΚΔ ἐστιν ἴση: καί εἰσιν ἐναλλάξ. παράλληλος ἄρα ἐστὶν ἡ ΑΒ τῇ ΓΔ. [Αἱ ἄρα τῇ αὐτῇ εὐθείᾳ παράλληλοι καὶ ἀλλήλαις εἰσὶ παράλληλοι:] ὅπερ ἔδει δεῖξαι.
A straight line falling on parallel straight lines makes the alternate angles equal to one another, the exterior angle equal to the interior and opposite angle, and the interior angles on the same side equal to two right angles. For let the straight line EF fall on the parallel straight lines AB, CD; I say that it makes the alternate angles AGH, GHD equal, the exterior angle EGB equal to the interior and opposite angle GHD, and the interior angles on the same side, namely BGH, GHD, equal to two right angles. For, if the angle AGH is unequal to the angle GHD, one of them is greater. Let the angle AGH be greater. Let the angle BGH be added to each; therefore the angles AGH, BGH are greater than the angles BGH, GHD. But the angles AGH, BGH are equal to two right angles; [I. 13] therefore the angles BGH, GHD are less than two right angles. But straight lines produced indefinitely from angles less than two right angles meet; [Post. 5] therefore AB, CD, if produced indefinitely, will meet; but they do not meet, because they are by hypothesis parallel. Therefore the angle AGH is not unequal to the angle GHD, and is therefore equal to it. Again, the angle AGH is equal to the angle EGB; [I. 15] therefore the angle EGB is also equal to the angle GHD. [C.N. 1] Let the angle BGH be added to each; therefore the angles EGB, BGH are equal to the angles BGH, GHD. [C.N. 2] But the angles EGB, BGH are equal to two right angles; [I. 13] therefore the angles BGH, GHD are also equal to two right angles. Therefore etc.