Book X, Proposition 5

Commensurable magnitudes have to one another the ratio which a number has to a number.

Τὰ σύμμετρα μεγέθη πρὸς ἄλληλα λόγον ἔχει, ὃν ἀριθμὸς πρὸς ἀριθμόν. Ἔστω σύμμετρα μεγέθη τὰ Α, Β: λέγω, ὅτι τὸ Α πρὸς τὸ Β λόγον ἔχει, ὃν ἀριθμὸς πρὸς ἀριθμόν. Ἐπεὶ γὰρ σύμμετρά ἐστι τὰ Α, Β, μετρήσει τι αὐτὰ μέγεθος. μετρείτω, καὶ ἔστω τὸ Γ. καὶ ὁσάκις τὸ Γ τὸ Α μετρεῖ τοσαῦται μονάδες ἔστωσαν ἐν τῷ Δ, ὁσάκις δὲ τὸ Γ τὸ Β μετρεῖ, τοσαῦται μονάδες ἔστωσαν ἐν τῷ Ε. Ἐπεὶ οὖν τὸ Γ τὸ Α μετρεῖ κατὰ τὰς ἐν τῷ Δ μονάδας, μετρεῖ δὲ καὶ ἡ μονὰς τὸν Δ κατὰ τὰς ἐν αὐτῷ μονάδας, ἰσάκις ἄρα ἡ μονὰς τὸν Δ μετρεῖ ἀριθμὸν καὶ τὸ Γ μέγεθος τὸ Α: ἔστιν ἄρα ὡς τὸ Γ πρὸς τὸ Α, οὕτως ἡ μονὰς πρὸς τὸν Δ: ἀνάπαλιν ἄρα, ὡς τὸ Α πρὸς τὸ Γ, οὕτως ὁ Δ πρὸς τὴν μονάδα. πάλιν ἐπεὶ τὸ Γ τὸ Β μετρεῖ κατὰ τὰς ἐν τῷ Ε μονάδας, μετρεῖ δὲ καὶ ἡ μονὰς τὸν Ε κατὰ τὰς ἐν αὐτῷ μονάδας, ἰσάκις ἄρα ἡ μονὰς τὸν Ε μετρεῖ καὶ τὸ Γ τὸ Β: ἔστιν ἄρα ὡς τὸ Γ πρὸς τὸ Β, οὕτως ἡ μονὰς πρὸς τὸν Ε. ἐδείχθη δὲ καὶ ὡς τὸ Α πρὸς τὸ Γ, ὁ Δ πρὸς τὴν μονάδα: δι' ἴσου ἄρα ἐστὶν ὡς τὸ Α πρὸς τὸ Β, οὕτως ὁ Δ ἀριθμὸς πρὸς τὸν Ε. Τὰ ἄρα σύμμετρα μεγέθη τὰ Α, Β πρὸς ἄλληλα λόγον ἔχει, ὃν ἀριθμὸς ὁ Δ πρὸς ἀριθμὸν τὸν Ε: ὅπερ ἔδει δεῖξαι. Ἐὰν δύο μεγέθη πρὸς ἄλληλα λόγον ἔχῃ, ὃν ἀριθμὸς πρὸς ἀριθμόν, σύμμετρα ἔσται τὰ μεγέθη. Δύο γὰρ μεγέθη τὰ Α, Β πρὸς ἄλληλα λόγον ἐχέτω, ὃν ἀριθμὸς ὁ Δ πρὸς ἀριθμὸν τὸν Ε: λέγω, ὅτι σύμμετρά ἐστι τὰ Α, Β μεγέθη. Ὅσαι γάρ εἰσιν ἐν τῷ Δ μονάδες, εἰς τοσαῦτα ἴσα διῃρήσθω τὸ Α, καὶ ἑνὶ αὐτῶν ἴσον ἔστω τὸ Γ: ὅσαι δέ εἰσιν ἐν τῷ Ε μονάδες, ἐκ τοσούτων μεγεθῶν ἴσων τῷ Γ συγκείσθω τὸ Ζ. Ἐπεὶ οὖν, ὅσαι εἰσὶν ἐν τῷ Δ μονάδες, τοσαῦτά εἰσι καὶ ἐν τῷ Α μεγέθη ἴσα τῷ Γ, ὃ ἄρα μέρος ἐστὶν ἡ μονὰς τοῦ Δ, τὸ αὐτὸ μέρος ἐστὶ καὶ τὸ Γ τοῦ Α: ἔστιν ἄρα ὡς τὸ Γ πρὸς τὸ Α, οὕτως ἡ μονὰς πρὸς τὸν Δ. μετρεῖ δὲ ἡ μονὰς τὸν Δ ἀριθμόν: μετρεῖ ἄρα καὶ τὸ Γ τὸ Α. καὶ ἐπεί ἐστιν ὡς τὸ Γ πρὸς τὸ Α, οὕτως ἡ μονὰς πρὸς τὸν Δ [ ἀριθμόν ], ἀνάπαλιν ἄρα ὡς τὸ Α πρὸς τὸ Γ, οὕτως ὁ Δ ἀριθμὸς πρὸς τὴν μονάδα. πάλιν ἐπεί, ὅσαι εἰσὶν ἐν τῷ Ε μονάδες, τοσαῦτά εἰσι καὶ ἐν τῷ Ζ ἴσα τῷ Γ, ἔστιν ἄρα ὡς τὸ Γ πρὸς τὸ Ζ, οὕτως ἡ μονὰς πρὸς τὸν Ε [ ἀριθμόν ]. ἐδείχθη δὲ καὶ ὡς τὸ Α πρὸς τὸ Γ, οὕτως ὁ Δ πρὸς τὴν μονάδα: δι' ἴσου ἄρα ἐστὶν ὡς τὸ Α πρὸς τὸ Ζ, οὕτως ὁ Δ πρὸς τὸν Ε. ἀλλ' ὡς ὁ Δ πρὸς τὸν Ε, οὕτως ἐστὶ τὸ Α πρὸς τὸ Β: καὶ ὡς ἄρα τὸ Α πρὸς τὸ Β, οὕτως καὶ πρὸς τὸ Ζ. τὸ Α ἄρα πρὸς ἑκάτερον τῶν Β, Ζ τὸν αὐτὸν ἔχει λόγον: ἴσον ἄρα ἐστὶ τὸ Β τῷ Ζ. μετρεῖ δὲ τὸ Γ τὸ Ζ: μετρεῖ ἄρα καὶ τὸ Β. ἀλλὰ μὴν καὶ τὸ Α: τὸ Γ ἄρα τὰ Α, Β μετρεῖ. σύμμετρον ἄρα ἐστὶ τὸ Α τῷ Β. Ἐὰν ἄρα δύο μεγέθη πρὸς ἄλληλα, καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς. Πόρισμα Ἐκ δὴ τούτου φανερόν, ὅτι, ἐὰν ὦσι δύο ἀριθμοί, ὡς οἱ Δ, Ε, καὶ εὐθεῖα, ὡς ἡ Α, δύνατόν ἐστι ποιῆσαι ὡς ὁ Δ ἀριθμὸς πρὸς τὸν Ε ἀριθμόν, οὕτως τὴν εὐθεῖαν πρὸς εὐθεῖαν. ἐὰν δὲ καὶ τῶν Α, Ζ μέση ἀνάλογον ληφθῇ, ὡς ἡ Β, ἔσται ὡς ἡ Α πρὸς τὴν Ζ, οὕτως τὸ ἀπὸ τῆς Α πρὸς τὸ ἀπὸ τῆς Β, τουτέστιν ὡς ἡ πρώτη πρὸς τὴν τρίτην, οὕτως τὸ ἀπὸ τῆς πρώτης πρὸς τὸ ἀπὸ τῆς δευτέρας τὸ ὅμοιον καὶ ὁμοίως ἀναγραφόμενον. ἀλλ' ὡς ἡ Α πρὸς τὴν Ζ, οὕτως ἐστὶν ὁ Δ ἀριθμὸς πρὸς τὸν Ε ἀριθμόν: γέγονεν ἄρα καὶ ὡς ὁ Δ ἀριθμὸς πρὸς τὸν Ε ἀριθμόν, οὕτως τὸ ἀπὸ τῆς Α εὐθείας πρὸς τὸ ἀπὸ τῆς Β εὐθείας: ὅπερ ἔδει δεῖξαι.

Commensurable magnitudes have to one another the ratio which a number has to a number. Let A, B be commensurable magnitudes; I say that A has to B the ratio which a number has to a number. For, since A, B are commensurable, some magnitude will measure them. Let it measure them, and let it be C. And, as many times as C measures A, so many units let there be in D; and, as many times as C measures B, so many units let there be in E. Since then C measures A according to the units in D, while the unit also measures D according to the units in it, therefore the unit measures the number D the same number of times as the magnitude C measures A; therefore, as C is to A, so is the unit to D; [VII. Def. 20] therefore, inversely, as A is to C, so is D to the unit. [cf. V. 7, Por.] Again, since C measures B according to the units in E, while the unit also measures E according to the units in it, therefore the unit measures E the same number of times as C measures B; therefore, as C is to B, so is the unit to E. But it was also proved that, as A is to C, so is D to the unit; therefore, ex aequali, as A is to B, so is the number D to E. [V. 22]

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