Book VIII, Proposition 6

If there be as many numbers as we please in continued proportion, and the first do not measure the second, neither will any other measure any other.

Ἐὰν ὦσιν ὁποσοιοῦν ἀριθμοὶ ἑξῆς ἀνάλογον, ὁ δὲ πρῶτος τὸν δεύτερον μὴ μετρῇ, οὐδὲ ἄλλος οὐδεὶς οὐδένα μετρήσει. Ἔστωσαν ὁποσοιοῦν ἀριθμοὶ ἑξῆς ἀνάλογον οἱ Α, Β, Γ, Δ, Ε, ὁ δὲ Α τὸν Β μὴ μετρείτω: λέγω, ὅτι οὐδὲ ἄλλος οὐδεὶς οὐδένα μετρήσει. Ὅτι μὲν οὖν οἱ Α, Β, Γ, Δ, Ε ἑξῆς ἀλλήλους οὐ μετροῦσιν, φανερόν: οὐδὲ γὰρ ὁ Α τὸν Β μετρεῖ. λέγω δή, ὅτι οὐδὲ ἄλλος οὐδεὶς οὐδένα μετρήσει. εἰ γὰρ δυνατόν, μετρείτω ὁ Α τὸν Γ. καὶ ὅσοι εἰσὶν οἱ Α, Β, Γ, τοσοῦτοι εἰλήφθωσαν ἐλάχιστοι ἀριθμοὶ τῶν τὸν αὐτὸν λόγον ἐχόντων τοῖς Α, Β, Γ οἱ Ζ, Η, Θ. καὶ ἐπεὶ οἱ Ζ, Η, Θ ἐν τῷ αὐτῷ λόγῳ εἰσὶ τοῖς Α, Β, Γ, καί ἐστιν ἴσον τὸ πλῆθος τῶν Α, Β, Γ τῷ πλήθει τῶν Ζ, Η, Θ, δι' ἴσου ἄρα ἐστὶν ὡς ὁ Α πρὸς τὸν Γ, οὕτως ὁ Ζ πρὸς τὸν Θ. καὶ ἐπεί ἐστιν ὡς ὁ Α πρὸς τὸν Β, οὕτως ὁ Ζ πρὸς τὸν Η, οὐ μετρεῖ δὲ ὁ Α τὸν Β, οὐ μετρεῖ ἄρα οὐδὲ ὁ Ζ τὸν Η: οὐκ ἄρα μονάς ἐστιν ὁ Ζ: ἡ γὰρ μονὰς πάντα ἀριθμὸν μετρεῖ. καί εἰσιν οἱ Ζ, Θ πρῶτοι πρὸς ἀλλήλους [ οὐδὲ ὁ Ζ ἄρα τὸν Θ μετρεῖ ]. καί ἐστιν ὡς ὁ Ζ πρὸς τὸν Θ, οὕτως ὁ Α πρὸς τὸν Γ: οὐδὲ ὁ Α ἄρα τὸν Γ μετρεῖ. ὁμοίως δὴ δείξομεν, ὅτι οὐδὲ ἄλλος οὐδεὶς οὐδένα μετρήσει: ὅπερ ἔδει δεῖξαι.

If there be as many numbers as we please in continued proportion, and the first do not measure the second, neither will any other measure any other. Let there be as many numbers as we please, A, B, C, D, E, in continued proportion, and let A not measure B; I say that neither will any other measure any other. Now it is manifest that A, B, C, D, E do not measure one another in order; for A does not even measure B. I say, then, that neither will any other measure any other. For, if possible, let A measure C. And, however many A, B, C are, let as many numbers F, G, H, the least of those which have the same ratio with A, B, C, be taken. [VII. 33] Now, since F, G, H are in the same ratio with A, B, C, and the multitude of the numbers A, B, C is equal to the multitude of the numbers F, G, H, therefore, ex aequali, as A is to C, so is F to H. [VII. 14] And since, as A is to B, so is F to G, while A does not measure B, therefore neither does F measure G; [VII. Def. 20] therefore F is not an unit, for the unit measures any number. Now F, H are prime to one another. [VIII. 3] And, as F is to H, so is A to C; therefore neither does A measure C.

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