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If a rational area be applied to a rational straight line, it produces as breadth a straight line rational and commensurable in length with the straight line to which it is applied.
| Ἐὰν ῥητὸν παρὰ ῥητὴν παραβληθῇ, πλάτος ποιεῖ ῥητὴν καὶ σύμμετρον τῇ, παρ' ἣν παράκειται, μήκει. Ῥητὸν γὰρ τὸ ΑΓ παρὰ ῥητὴν κατά τινα πάλιν τῶν προειρημένων τρόπων τὴν ΑΒ παραβεβλήσθω πλάτος ποιοῦν τὴν ΒΓ: λέγω, ὅτι ῥητή ἐστιν ἡ ΒΓ καὶ σύμμετρος τῇ ΒΑ μήκει. Ἀναγεγράφθω γὰρ ἀπὸ τῆς ΑΒ τετράγωνον τὸ ΑΔ: ῥητὸν ἄρα ἐστὶ τὸ ΑΔ. ῥητὸν δὲ καὶ τὸ ΑΓ: σύμμετρον ἄρα ἐστὶ τὸ ΔΑ τῷ ΑΓ. καί ἐστιν ὡς τὸ ΔΑ πρὸς τὸ ΑΓ, οὕτως ἡ ΔΒ πρὸς τὴν ΒΓ. σύμμετρος ἄρα ἐστὶ καὶ ἡ ΔΒ τῇ ΒΓ: ἴση δὲ ἡ ΔΒ τῇ ΒΑ: σύμμετρος ἄρα καὶ ἡ ΑΒ τῇ ΒΓ. ῥητὴ δέ ἐστιν ἡ ΑΒ: ῥητὴ ἄρα ἐστὶ καὶ ἡ ΒΓ καὶ σύμμετρος τῇ ΑΒ μήκει. Ἐὰν ἄρα ῥητὸν παρὰ ῥητὴν παραβληθῇ, καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς. | If a rational area be applied to a rational straight line, it produces as breadth a straight line rational and commensurable in length with the straight line to which it is applied. For let the rational area AC be applied to AB, a straight line once more rational in any of the aforesaid ways, producing BC as breadth; I say that BC is rational and commensurable in length with BA. For on AB let the square AD be described; therefore AD is rational. [X. Def. 4] But AC is also rational; therefore DA is commensurable with AC. And, as DA is to AC, so is DB to BC. [VI. 1] Therefore DB is also commensurable with BC; [X. 11] and DB is equal to BA; therefore AB is also commensurable with BC. But AB is rational; therefore BC is also rational and commensurable in length with AB. |