§8.prop.3ἐὰν ὦσιν ὁποσοιοῦν ἀριθμοὶ ἑξῆς ἀνάλογον ἐλάχιστοι τῶν τὸν αὐτὸν λόγον ἐχόντων αὐτοῖς, οἱ ἄκροι αὐτῶν πρῶτοι πρὸς ἀλλήλους εἰσίν.
If there be as many numbers as we please in continued proportion, the least of those which have the same ratio with them, their extremes are prime to one another.
ἔστωσαν ὁποσοιοῦν ἀριθμοὶ ἑξῆς ἀνάλογον ἐλάχιστοι τῶν τὸν αὐτὸν λόγον ἐχόντων αὐτοῖς οἱ Α, Β, Γ, Δ· λέγω, ὅτι οἱ ἄκροι αὐτῶν οἱ Α, Δ πρῶτοι πρὸς ἀλλήλους εἰσίν.
Let there be as many numbers as we please, Α, Β, Γ, Δ, in continued proportion, the least of those which have the same ratio with them; I say that their extremes, Α, Δ, are prime to one another.
εἰλήφθωσαν γὰρ δύο μὲν ἀριθμοὶ ἐλάχιστοι ἐν τῷ τῶν Α, Β, Γ, Δ λόγῳ οἱ Ε, Ζ, τρεῖς δὲ οἱ Η, Θ, Κ, καὶ ἑξῆς ἑνὶ πλείους, ἕως τὸ λαμβανόμενον πλῆθος ἴσον γένηται τῷ πλήθει τῶν Α, Β, Γ, Δ. εἰλήφθωσαν καὶ ἔστωσαν οἱ Λ, Μ, Ν, Ξ.
καὶ ἐπεὶ οἱ Ε, Ζ ἐλάχιστοί εἰσι τῶν τὸν αὐτὸν λόγον ἐχόντων αὐτοῖς, πρῶτοι πρὸς ἀλλήλους εἰσίν.
For let there be taken two numbers, the least of those which have the ratio of Α, Β, Γ, Δ, namely Ε, Ζ, and three, namely Η, Θ, Κ, and so on, increasing by one, until the number taken becomes equal to the multitude of Α, Β, Γ, Δ. Let them be taken, and let them be Λ, Μ, Ν, Ξ. And since Ε, Ζ are the least of those which have the same ratio with them, they are prime to one another.
καὶ ἐπεὶ ἑκάτερος τῶν Ε, Ζ ἑαυτὸν μὲν πολλαπλασιάσας ἑκάτερον τῶν Η, Κ πεποίηκεν, ἑκάτερον δὲ τῶν Η, Κ πολλαπλασιάσας ἑκάτερον τῶν Λ, Ξ πεποίηκεν, καὶ οἱ Η, Κ ἄρα καὶ οἱ Λ, Ξ πρῶτοι πρὸς ἀλλήλους εἰσίν.
And since each of the numbers Ε, Ζ by multiplying itself has made each of the numbers Η, Κ, and by multiplying each of the numbers Η, Κ has made each of the numbers Λ, Ξ, therefore both Η, Κ and Λ, Ξ are prime to one another.
καὶ ἐπεὶ οἱ Α, Β, Γ, Δ ἐλάχιστοί εἰσι τῶν τὸν αὐτὸν λόγον ἐχόντων αὐτοῖς, εἰσὶ δὲ καὶ οἱ Λ, Μ, Ν, Ξ ἐλάχιστοι ἐν τῷ αὐτῷ λόγῳ ὄντες τοῖς Α, Β, Γ, Δ, καί ἐστιν ἴσον τὸ πλῆθος τῶν Α, Β, Γ, Δ τῷ πλήθει τῶν Λ, Μ, Ν, Ξ, ἕκαστος ἄρα τῶν Α, Β, Γ, Δ ἑκάστῳ τῶν Λ, Μ, Ν, Ξ ἴσος ἐστίν· ἴσος ἄρα ἐστὶν ὁ μὲν Α τῷ Λ, ὁ δὲ Δ τῷ Ξ. καί εἰσιν οἱ Λ, Ξ πρῶτοι πρὸς ἀλλήλους.
And since Α, Β, Γ, Δ are the least of those which have the same ratio with them, and Λ, Μ, Ν, Ξ are also the least, being in the same ratio with Α, Β, Γ, Δ, and the multitude of Α, Β, Γ, Δ is equal to the multitude of Λ, Μ, Ν, Ξ, therefore each of the numbers Α, Β, Γ, Δ is equal to each of the numbers Λ, Μ, Ν, Ξ; therefore Α is equal to Λ, and Δ to Ξ. And Λ, Ξ are prime to one another.
καὶ οἱ Α, Δ ἄρα πρῶτοι πρὸς ἀλλήλους εἰσίν· ὅπερ ἔδει δεῖξαι.
Therefore Α, Δ are also prime to one another; which was to be proved.