Book VII, Proposition 32

Any number either is prime or is measured by some prime number.

Ἅπας ἀριθμὸς ἤτοι πρῶτός ἐστιν ἢ ὑπὸ πρώτου τινὸς ἀριθμοῦ μετρεῖται. Ἔστω ἀριθμὸς ὁ Α: λέγω, ὅτι ὁ Α ἤτοι πρῶτός ἐστιν ἢ ὑπὸ πρώτου τινὸς ἀριθμοῦ μετρεῖται. Εἰ μὲν οὖν πρῶτός ἐστιν ὁ Α, γεγονὸς ἂν εἴη τὸ ἐπιταχθέν. εἰ δὲ σύνθετος, μετρήσει τις αὐτὸν πρῶτος ἀριθμός. Ἅπας ἄρα ἀριθμὸς ἤτοι πρῶτός ἐστιν ἢ ὑπὸ πρώτου τινὸς ἀριθμοῦ μετρεῖται: ὅπερ ἔδει δεῖξαι.

Any number either is prime or is measured by some prime number. Let A be a number; I say that A either is prime or is measured by some prime number. If now A is prime, that which was enjoined will have been done. But if it is composite, some prime number will measure it. [VII. 31]

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