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If two magnitudes have not to one another the ratio which a number has to a number, the magnitudes will be incommensurable.
| Ἐὰν δύο μεγέθη πρὸς ἄλληλα λόγον μὴ ἔχῃ, ὃν ἀριθμὸς πρὸς ἀριθμόν, ἀσύμμετρα ἔσται τὰ μεγέθη. Δύο γὰρ μεγέθη τὰ Α, Β πρὸς ἄλληλα λόγον μὴ ἐχέτω, ὃν ἀριθμὸς πρὸς ἀριθμόν: λέγω, ὅτι ἀσύμμετρά ἐστι τὰ Α, Β μεγέθη. Εἰ γὰρ ἔσται σύμμετρα, τὸ Α πρὸς τὸ Β λόγον ἕξει, ὃν ἀριθμὸς πρὸς ἀριθμόν. οὐκ ἔχει δέ. ἀσύμμετρα ἄρα ἐστὶ τὰ Α, Β μεγέθη. Ἐὰν ἄρα δύο μεγέθη πρὸς ἄλληλα, καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς. | If two magnitudes have not to one another the ratio which a number has to a number, the magnitudes will be incommensurable. For let the two magnitudes A, B not have to one another the ratio which a number has to a number; I say that the magnitudes A, B are incommensurable. For, if they are commensurable, A will have to B the ratio which a number has to a number. [X. 5] But it has not; therefore the magnitudes A, B are incommensurable. |