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Euclid · Elements §6.prop.23

Ratio of Equiangular Parallelograms Compounded of Sides

Passage 102 of 316 · Greek

Summary

This proposition proves that the ratio of two equiangular parallelograms is equal to the ratio compounded of the ratios of their adjacent sides, by introducing auxiliary straight lines and applying the compounding of ratios.

§6.prop.23τὰ ἰσογώνια παραλληλόγραμμα πρὸς ἄλληλα λόγον ἔχει τὸν συγκείμενον ἐκ τῶν πλευρῶν.
Equiangular parallelograms have to one another the ratio compounded of their sides.
ἔστω ἰσογώνια παραλληλόγραμμα τὰ ΑΓ, ΓΖ ἴσην ἔχοντα τὴν ὑπὸ ΒΓΔ γωνίαν τῇ ὑπὸ ΕΓΗ· λέγω, ὅτι τὸ ΑΓ παραλληλόγραμμον πρὸς τὸ ΓΖ παραλληλόγραμμον λόγον ἔχει τὸν συγκείμενον ἐκ τῶν πλευρῶν.
Let there be equiangular parallelograms AΓ, ΓZ, having the angle BΓΔ equal to the angle EΓH; I say that the parallelogram AΓ has to the parallelogram ΓZ the ratio compounded of their sides.
κείσθω γὰρ ὥστε ἐπʼ εὐθείας εἶναι τὴν ΒΓ τῇ ΓΗ· ἐπʼ εὐθείας ἄρα ἐστὶ καὶ ἡ ΔΓ τῇ ΓΕ. καὶ συμπεπληρώσθω τὸ ΔΗ παραλληλόγραμμον, καὶ ἐκκείσθω τις εὐθεῖα ἡ Κ, καὶ γεγονέτω ὡς μὲν ἡ ΒΓ πρὸς τὴν ΓΗ, οὕτως ἡ Κ πρὸς τὴν Λ, ὡς δὲ ἡ ΔΓ πρὸς τὴν ΓΕ, οὕτως ἡ Λ πρὸς τὴν Μ. οἱ ἄρα λόγοι τῆς τε Κ πρὸς τὴν Λ καὶ τῆς Λ πρὸς τὴν Μ οἱ αὐτοί εἰσι τοῖς λόγοις τῶν πλευρῶν, τῆς τε ΒΓ πρὸς τὴν ΓΗ καὶ τῆς ΔΓ πρὸς τὴν ΓΕ. ἀλλʼ ὁ τῆς Κ πρὸς Μ λόγος σύγκειται ἔκ τε τοῦ τῆς Κ πρὸς Λ λόγου καὶ τοῦ τῆς Λ πρὸς Μ· ὥστε καὶ ἡ Κ πρὸς τὴν Μ λόγον ἔχει τὸν συγκείμενον ἐκ τῶν πλευρῶν.
For let BC be placed so as to be in a straight line with CH; therefore DC is also in a straight line with CE. And let the parallelogram ΔH be completed, and let some straight line K be set out, and let it be: as BC is to CH, so K to Λ, and as DC is to CE, so Λ to M. Therefore the ratios of K to Λ and of Λ to M are the same as the ratios of the sides, namely of BC to CH and of DC to CE. But the ratio of K to M is compounded of the ratio of K to Λ and that of Λ to M; so that K also has to M the ratio compounded of the sides.
καὶ ἐπεί ἐστιν ὡς ἡ ΒΓ πρὸς τὴν ΓΗ, οὕτως τὸ ΑΓ παραλληλόγραμμον πρὸς τὸ ΓΘ, ἀλλʼ ὡς ἡ ΒΓ πρὸς τὴν ΓΗ, οὕτως ἡ Κ πρὸς τὴν λ, καὶ ὡς ἄρα ἡ Κ πρὸς τὴν Λ, οὕτως τὸ ΑΓ πρὸς τὸ ΓΘ. πάλιν, ἐπεί ἐστιν ὡς ἡ ΔΓ πρὸς τὴν ΓΕ, οὕτως τὸ ΓΘ παραλληλόγραμμον πρὸς τὸ ΓΖ, ἀλλʼ ὡς ἡ ΔΓ πρὸς τὴν ΓΕ, οὕτως ἡ Λ πρὸς τὴν Μ, καὶ ὡς ἄρα ἡ Λ πρὸς τὴν Μ, οὕτως τὸ ΓΘ παραλληλόγραμμον πρὸς τὸ ΓΖ παραλληλόγραμμον.
And since, as BC is to CH, so is the parallelogram AΓ to ΓΘ, but as BC is to CH, so is K to λ, therefore also, as K is to Λ, so is AΓ to ΓΘ. Again, since, as DC is to CE, so is the parallelogram ΓΘ to ΓZ, but as DC is to CE, so is Λ to M, therefore also, as Λ is to M, so is the parallelogram ΓΘ to the parallelogram ΓZ.
ἐπεὶ οὖν ἐδείχθη, ὡς μὲν ἡ Κ πρὸς τὴν Λ, οὕτως τὸ ΑΓ παραλληλόγραμμον πρὸς τὸ ΓΘ παραλληλόγραμμον, ὡς δὲ ἡ Λ πρὸς τὴν Μ, οὕτως τὸ ΓΘ παραλληλόγραμμον πρὸς τὸ ΓΖ παραλληλόγραμμον, διʼ ἴσου ἄρα ἐστὶν ὡς ἡ Κ πρὸς τὴν Μ, οὕτως τὸ ΑΓ πρὸς τὸ ΓΖ παραλληλόγραμμον.
Since then it was demonstrated that, as K is to Λ, so is the parallelogram AΓ to the parallelogram ΓΘ, and as Λ is to M, so is the parallelogram ΓΘ to the parallelogram ΓZ, therefore, ex aequali, as K is to M, so is AΓ to the parallelogram ΓZ.
ἡ δὲ Κ πρὸς τὴν Μ λόγον ἔχει τὸν συγκείμενον ἐκ τῶν πλευρῶν· καὶ τὸ ΑΓ ἄρα πρὸς τὸ ΓΖ λόγον ἔχει τὸν συγκείμενον ἐκ τῶν πλευρῶν.
But K has to M the ratio compounded of the sides; therefore AΓ also has to ΓZ the ratio compounded of the sides.
τὰ ἄρα ἰσογώνια παραλληλόγραμμα πρὸς ἄλληλα λόγον ἔχει τὸν συγκείμενον ἐκ τῶν πλευρῶν· ὅπερ ἔδει δεῖξαι.
Therefore, equiangular parallelograms have to one another the ratio compounded of their sides; which was to be demonstrated.

Notes

  1. §6.prop.23τὸν συγκείμενον ἐκ τῶν πλευρῶν — Literally "the (ratio) compounded of the sides", which mathematically means the ratio compounded of the ratios of the lengths of the sides (i.e., BC:CH and DC:CE). It is an attributive participle modifying the noun "ratio" (λόγον).
  2. §6.prop.23ὥστε ἐπʼ εὐθείας εἶναι τὴν ΒΓ τῇ ΓΗ — The conjunction ὥστε introduces an accusative and infinitive clause (with τὴν ΒΓ as the subject of εἶναι) to express purpose or result: "so that BC is in a straight line with CH".
  3. §6.prop.23ἐπʼ εὐθείας ἐστὶ καὶ ἡ ΔΓ τῇ ΓΕ — The dative (τῇ ΓΕ) is used with ἐπʼ εὐθείας ἐστὶ to mean "is in a straight line with". Since the angles BΓΔ and EΓH are equal and share the vertex Γ, if BC and CH are in a straight line, DC and CE must also be in a straight line.

Cite this passage

Euclid, Elements §6.prop.23. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg1799.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:6.prop.23

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