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Euclid · Elements §13.prop.9

Extreme and Mean Ratio from Hexagon and Decagon Sides

Passage 301 of 316 · Greek

Summary

It is proved that if the side of a regular hexagon and the side of a regular decagon inscribed in the same circle are joined in a straight line, the whole straight line is cut in extreme and mean ratio, with the side of the hexagon as the greater segment.

§13.prop.9ἐὰν ἡ τοῦ ἑξαγώνου πλευρὰ καὶ ἡ τοῦ δεκαγώνου τῶν εἰς τὸν αὐτὸν κύκλον ἐγγραφομένων συντεθῶσιν, ἡ ὅλη εὐθεῖα ἄκρον καὶ μέσον λόγον τέτμηται, καὶ τὸ μεῖζον αὐτῆς τμῆμά ἐστιν ἡ τοῦ ἑξαγώνου πλευρά.
If the side of the hexagon and the side of the decagon inscribed in the same circle are added together, the whole straight line is cut in extreme and mean ratio, and its greater segment is the side of the hexagon.
ἔστω κύκλος ὁ ΑΒΓ, καὶ τῶν εἰς τὸν ΑΒΓ κύκλον ἐγγραφομένων σχημάτων, δεκαγώνου μὲν ἔστω πλευρὰ ἡ ΒΓ, ἑξαγώνου δὲ ἡ ΓΔ, καὶ ἔστωσαν ἐπʼ εὐθείας· λέγω, ὅτι ἡ ὅλη εὐθεῖα ἡ ΒΔ ἄκρον καὶ μέσον λόγον τέτμηται, καὶ τὸ μεῖζον αὐτῆς τμῆμά ἐστιν ἡ ΓΔ. εἰλήφθω γὰρ τὸ κέντρον τοῦ κύκλου τὸ Ε σημεῖον, καὶ ἐπεζεύχθωσαν αἱ ΕΒ, ΕΓ, ΕΔ, καὶ διήχθω ἡ ΒΕ ἐπὶ τὸ Α. ἐπεὶ δεκαγώνου ἰσοπλεύρου πλευρά ἐστιν ἡ ΒΓ, πενταπλασίων ἄρα ἡ ΑΓΒ περιφέρεια τῆς ΒΓ περιφερείας· τετραπλασίων ἄρα ἡ ΑΓ περιφέρεια τῆς ΓΒ. ὡς δὲ ἡ ΑΓ περιφέρεια πρὸς τὴν ΓΒ, οὕτως ἡ ὑπὸ ΑΕΓ γωνία πρὸς τὴν ὑπὸ ΓΕΒ· τετραπλασίων ἄρα ἡ ὑπὸ ΑΕΓ τῆς ὑπὸ ΓΕΒ. καὶ ἐπεὶ ἴση ἡ ὑπὸ ΕΒΓ γωνία τῇ ὑπὸ ΕΓΒ, ἡ ἄρα ὑπὸ ΑΕΓ γωνία διπλασία ἐστὶ τῆς ὑπὸ ΕΓΒ. καὶ ἐπεὶ ἴση ἐστὶν ἡ ΕΓ εὐθεῖα τῇ ΓΔ· ἑκατέρα γὰρ αὐτῶν ἴση ἐστὶ τῇ τοῦ ἑξαγώνου πλευρᾷ τοῦ εἰς τὸν ΑΒΓ κύκλον· ἴση ἐστὶ καὶ ἡ ὑπὸ ΓΕΔ γωνία τῇ ὑπὸ ΓΔΕ γωνίᾳ·
Let ABC be a circle, and of the figures inscribed in the circle ABC, let BC be the side of the decagon, and CD that of the hexagon, and let them be in a straight line; I say that the whole straight line BD is cut in extreme and mean ratio, and its greater segment is CD. For let the center of the circle be taken as the point E, and let EB, EC, ED be joined, and let BE be drawn through to A. Since BC is the side of an equilateral decagon, therefore the circumference ACB is five times the circumference BC; therefore the circumference AC is four times the circumference CB. And as the circumference AC is to CB, so is the angle AEC to the angle CEB; therefore the angle AEC is four times the angle CEB. And since the angle EBC is equal to the angle ECB, therefore the angle AEC is double of the angle ECB. And since the straight line EC is equal to CD—for each of them is equal to the side of the hexagon inscribed in the circle ABC—the angle CED is also equal to the angle CDE; therefore the angle ECB is double of the angle EDC.
διπλασία ἄρα ἡ ὑπὸ ΕΓΒ γωνία τῆς ὑπὸ ΕΔΓ. ἀλλὰ τῆς ὑπὸ ΕΓΒ διπλασία ἐδείχθη ἡ ὑπὸ ΑΕΓ·
But the angle AEC was shown to be double of the angle ECB; therefore the angle AEC is four times the angle EDC.
τετραπλασία ἄρα ἡ ὑπὸ ΑΕΓ τῆς ὑπὸ ΕΔΓ. ἐδείχθη δὲ καὶ τῆς ὑπὸ ΒΕΓ τετραπλασία ἡ ὑπὸ ΑΕΓ·
And the angle AEC was also shown to be four times the angle BEC; therefore the angle EDC is equal to the angle BEC.
ἴση ἄρα ἡ ὑπὸ ΕΔΓ τῇ ὑπὸ ΒΕΓ. κοινὴ δὲ τῶν δύο τριγώνων, τοῦ τε ΒΕΓ καὶ τοῦ ΒΕΔ, ἡ ὑπὸ ΕΒΔ γωνία· καὶ λοιπὴ ἄρα ἡ ὑπὸ ΒΕΔ τῇ ὑπὸ ΕΓΒ ἐστιν ἴση· ἰσογώνιον ἄρα ἐστὶ τὸ ΕΒΔ τρίγωνον τῷ ΕΒΓ τριγώνῳ.
And the angle EBD is common to the two triangles BEC and BED; therefore the remaining angle BED is equal to the remaining angle ECB; therefore the triangle EBD is equiangular with the triangle EBC.
ἀνάλογον ἄρα ἐστὶν ὡς ἡ ΔΒ πρὸς τὴν ΒΕ, οὕτως ἡ ΕΒ πρὸς τὴν ΒΓ. ἴση δὲ ἡ ΕΒ τῇ ΓΔ. ἔστιν ἄρα ὡς ἡ ΒΔ πρὸς τὴν ΔΓ, οὕτως ἡ ΔΓ πρὸς τὴν ΓΒ. μείζων δὲ ἡ ΒΔ τῆς ΔΓ· μείζων ἄρα καὶ ἡ ΔΓ τῆς ΓΒ. ἡ ΒΔ ἄρα εὐθεῖα ἄκρον καὶ μέσον λόγον τέτμηται, καὶ τὸ μεῖζον τμῆμα αὐτῆς ἐστιν ἡ ΔΓ· ὅπερ ἔδει δεῖξαι.
Therefore, proportionally, as DB is to BE, so is EB to BC. But EB is equal to CD. Therefore, as BD is to DC, so is DC to CB. And BD is greater than DC; therefore DC is also greater than CB. Therefore the straight line BD is cut in extreme and mean ratio, and its greater segment is DC; which it was required to prove.

Notes

  1. 15πενταπλασίων ἄρα ἡ ΑΓΒ περιφέρεια τῆς ΒΓ περιφερείας — "πενταπλασίων" is the genitive plural of the adjective "πενταπλάσιος" ("five times as much"), which takes the genitive of comparison "τῆς ΒΓ περιφερείας" to express the proportion "the circumference ACB is five times the circumference BC." The subsequent "τετραπλασίων" follows the same construction.
  2. 20διπλασία ἄρα ἡ ὑπὸ ΕΓΒ γωνία τῆς ὑπὸ ΕΔΓ — Since the points B, Γ, and Δ are collinear, the angle ECB is the exterior angle of the triangle ECD at the vertex Γ. Since an exterior angle of a triangle is equal to the sum of the two opposite interior angles, and because EC = CD (thus angle CED = angle CDE), the exterior angle ECB is double of the interior opposite angle EDC.

Cite this passage

Euclid, Elements §13.prop.9. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg1799.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:13.prop.9

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