Book X, Proposition 107

A straight line commensurable with that which produces with a medial area a medial whole is itself also a straight line which produces with a medial area a medial whole.

Ἡ τῇ μετὰ μέσου μέσον τὸ ὅλον ποιούσῃ σύμμετρος καὶ αὐτὴ μετὰ μέσου μέσον τὸ ὅλον ποιοῦσά ἐστιν. Ἔστω μετὰ μέσου μέσον τὸ ὅλον ποιοῦσα ἡ ΑΒ, καὶ τῇ ΑΒ ἔστω σύμμετρος ἡ ΓΔ: λέγω, ὅτι καὶ ἡ ΓΔ μετὰ μέσου μέσον τὸ ὅλον ποιοῦσά ἐστιν. Ἔστω γὰρ τῇ ΑΒ προσαρμόζουσα ἡ ΒΕ, καὶ τὰ αὐτὰ κατεσκευάσθω: αἱ ΑΕ, ΕΒ ἄρα δυνάμει εἰσὶν ἀσύμμετροι ποιοῦσαι τό τε συγκείμενον ἐκ τῶν ἀπ' αὐτῶν τετραγώνων μέσον καὶ τὸ ὑπ' αὐτῶν μέσον καὶ ἔτι ἀσύμμετρον τὸ συγκείμενον ἐκ τῶν ἀπ' αὐτῶν τετραγώνων τῷ ὑπ' αὐτῶν. καί εἰσιν, ὡς ἐδείχθη, αἱ ΑΕ, ΕΒ σύμμετροι ταῖς ΓΖ, ΖΔ, καὶ τὸ συγκείμενον ἐκ τῶν ἀπὸ τῶν ΑΕ, ΕΒ τετραγώνων τῷ συγκειμένῳ ἐκ τῶν ἀπὸ τῶν ΓΖ, ΖΔ, τὸ δὲ ὑπὸ τῶν ΑΕ, ΕΒ τῷ ὑπὸ τῶν ΓΖ, ΖΔ: καὶ αἱ ΓΖ, ΖΔ ἄρα δυνάμει εἰσὶν ἀσύμμετροι ποιοῦσαι τό τε συγκείμενον ἐκ τῶν ἀπ' αὐτῶν τετραγώνων μέσον καὶ τὸ ὑπ' αὐτῶν μέσον καὶ ἔτι ἀσύμμετρον τὸ συγκείμενον ἐκ τῶν ἀπ' αὐτῶν [ τετραγώνων ] τῷ ὑπ' αὐτῶν. Ἡ ΓΔ ἄρα μετὰ μέσου μέσον τὸ ὅλον ποιοῦσά ἐστιν: ὅπερ ἔδει δεῖξαι.

A straight line commensurable with that which produces with a medial area a medial whole is itself also a straight line which produces with a medial area a medial whole. Let AB be a straight line which produces with a medial area a medial whole, and let CD be commensurable with AB; I say that CD is also a straight line which produces with a medial area a medial whole. For let BE be the annex to AB, and let the same construction be made; therefore AE, EB are straight lines incommensurable in square which make the sum of the squares on them medial, the rectangle contained by them medial, and further the sum of the squares on them incommensurable with the rectangle contained by them. [X. 78] Now, as was proved, AE, EB are commensurable with CF, FD, the sum of the squares on AE, EB with the sum of the squares on CF, FD, and the rectangle AE, EB with the rectangle CF, FD; therefore CF, FD are also straight lines incommensurable in square which make the sum of the squares on them medial, the rectangle contained by them medial, and further the sum of the squares on them incommensurable with the rectangle contained by them.

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