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Euclid · Elements §9.prop.36#2

Exclusivity of Divisors and Proof of Perfect Numbers

Passage 159 of 316 · Greek

Summary

Completes the proof of the perfect number formula. It uses proof by contradiction to show that the generated number is not divisible by any number other than its own parts.

§9.prop.36#2ἀλλὰ μὴν καὶ ὁ Ε τὸν Δ πολλαπλασιάσας τὸν ΖΗ πεποίηκεν· ἔστιν ἄρα ὡς ὁ ε πρὸς τὸν Π, ὁ Ο πρὸς τὸν Δ. καὶ ἐπεὶ ἀπὸ μονάδος ἑξῆς ἀνάλογόν εἰσιν οἱ Α, Β, Γ, Δ, ὁ Δ ἄρα ὑπʼ οὐδενὸς ἄλλου ἀριθμοῦ μετρηθήσεται παρὲξ τῶν Α, Β, Γ. καὶ ὑπόκειται ὁ Ο οὐδενὶ τῶν Α, Β, Γ ὁ αὐτός· οὐκ ἄρα μετρήσει ὁ Ο τὸν Δ. ἀλλʼ ὡς ὁ Ο πρὸς τὸν Δ, ὁ Ε πρὸς τὸν Π· οὐδὲ ὁ Ε ἄρα τὸν Π μετρεῖ.
But indeed E by multiplying Δ has also made ZH; therefore, as ε is to Π, so is O to Δ. And since A, B, Γ, Δ are continuously proportional beginning from a unit, Δ will therefore not be measured by any other number except A, B, Γ. And O is assumed to be the same with none of A, B, Γ; therefore O will not measure Δ. But as O is to Δ, so is E to Π; therefore E also does not measure Π.
καί ἐστιν ὁ Ε πρῶτος· πᾶς δὲ πρῶτος ἀριθμὸς πρὸς ἅπαντα, ὃν μὴ μετρεῖ, πρῶτος.
And E is prime; and every prime number is prime to every number which it does not measure.
οἱ Ε, Π ἄρα πρῶτοι πρὸς ἀλλήλους εἰσίν.
Therefore E, Π are prime to one another.
οἱ δὲ πρῶτοι καὶ ἐλάχιστοι, οἱ δὲ ἐλάχιστοι μετροῦσι τοὺς τὸν αὐτὸν λόγον ἔχοντας ἰσάκις ὅ τε ἡγούμενος τὸν ἡγούμενον καὶ ὁ ἑπόμενος τὸν ἑπόμενον· καί ἐστιν ὡς ὁ Ε πρὸς τὸν Π, ὁ Ο πρὸς τὸν Δ· ἰσάκις ἄρα ὁ Ε τὸν Ο μετρεῖ καὶ ὁ Π τὸν Δ· ἰσάκις ἄρα ὁ Ε τὸν Ο μετρεῖ καὶ ὁ Π τὸν Δ. ὁ δὲ Δ ὑπʼ οὐδενὸς ἄλλου μετρεῖται παρὲξ τῶν Α, Β, Γ· ὁ Π ἄρα ἑνὶ τῶν Α, Β, Γ ἐστιν ὁ αὐτός.
But numbers prime to one another are also least, and the least numbers measure those which have the same ratio with them the same number of times, the antecedent the antecedent, and the consequent the consequent; and as E is to Π, so is O to Δ; therefore E measures O the same number of times that Π measures Δ; therefore E measures O the same number of times that Π measures Δ. But Δ is measured by no other except A, B, Γ; therefore Π is the same with one of A, B, Γ.
ἔστω τῷ Β ὁ αὐτός.
Let it be the same with B.
καὶ ὅσοι εἰσὶν οἱ Β, Γ, Δ τῷ πλήθει τοσοῦτοι εἰλήφθωσαν ἀπὸ τοῦ Ε οἱ Ε, ΘΚ, Λ. καί εἰσιν οἱ Ε, ΘΚ, Λ τοῖς Β, Γ, Δ ἐν τῷ αὐτῷ λόγῳ· διʼ ἴσου ἄρα ἐστὶν ὡς ὁ Β πρὸς τὸν Δ, ὁ Ε πρὸς τὸν Λ. ὁ ἄρα ἐκ τῶν Β, Λ ἴσος ἐστὶ τῷ ἐκ τῶν Δ, Ε·
And as many as B, Γ, Δ are in multitude, let so many, E, ΘK, Λ, be taken beginning from E. And E, ΘK, Λ are in the same ratio with B, Γ, Δ; therefore, ex aequali, as B is to Δ, so is E to Λ. Therefore the product of B, Λ is equal to the product of Δ, E.
ἀλλʼ ὁ ἐκ τῶν Δ, Ε ἴσος ἐστὶ τῷ ἐκ τῶν π, Ο· καὶ ὁ ἐκ τῶν Π, Ο ἄρα ἴσος ἐστὶ τῷ ἐκ τῶν Β, Λ. ἔστιν ἄρα ὡς ὁ Π πρὸς τὸν Β, ὁ Λ πρὸς τὸν Ο. καί ἐστιν ὁ Π τῷ Β ὁ αὐτός· καὶ ὁ Λ ἄρα τῷ Ο ἐστιν ὁ αὐτός· ὅπερ ἀδύνατον· ὁ γὰρ Ο ὑπόκειται μηδενὶ τῶν ἐκκειμένων ὁ αὐτός.
But the product of Δ, E is equal to the product of π, O; therefore the product of Π, O is also equal to the product of B, Λ. Therefore, as Π is to B, so is Λ to O. And Π is the same with B; therefore Λ is also the same with O, which is impossible; for O is assumed to be the same with none of those set out.
οὐκ ἄρα τὸν ΖΗ μετρήσει τις ἀριθμὸς παρὲξ τῶν α, Β, Γ, Δ, Ε, ΘΚ, Λ, Μ καὶ τῆς μονάδος.
Therefore, no number will measure ZH except α, B, Γ, Δ, E, ΘK, Λ, M and the unit.
καὶ ἐδείχθη ὁ ΖΗ τοῖς Α, Β, Γ, Δ, Ε, ΘΚ, Λ, Μ καὶ τῇ μονάδι ἴσος.
And ZH has been proved equal to A, B, Γ, Δ, E, ΘK, Λ, M and the unit.
τέλειος δὲ ἀριθμός ἐστιν ὁ τοῖς ἑαυτοῦ μέρεσιν ἴσος ὤν· τέλειος ἄρα ἐστὶν ὁ ΖΗ· ὅπερ ἔδει δεῖξαι.
And a perfect number is that which is equal to its own parts; therefore ZH is perfect; which was to be proved.

Notes

  1. 9.prop.36#2πᾶς δὲ πρῶτος ἀριθμὸς πρὸς ἅπαντα, ὃν μὴ μετρεῖ, πρῶτος — The verb ἐστίν (or the noun ἀριθμός) is omitted after πρῶτος. This is a formulaic citation of Proposition 29 of Book VII: "every prime number is prime to every number which it does not measure."
  2. 9.prop.36#2ἰσάκις ἄρα ὁ Ε τὸν Ο μετρεῖ καὶ ὁ Π τὸν Δ· ἰσάκις ἄρα ὁ Ε τὸν Ο μετρεῖ καὶ ὁ Π τὸν Δ. — The same sentence is duplicated in the manuscript tradition. Although a single occurrence is mathematically sufficient, the duplication is preserved in the translations to reflect the transmitted text.
  3. 9.prop.36#2ὁ ἄρα ἐκ τῶν Β, Λ — The phrase ὁ ἐκ τῶν ... is an elliptical expression meaning "the rectangle produced from ...", i.e., "the product of ...", with ἀριθμός (number) or συνιστάμενος (product) being omitted.
  4. 9.prop.36#2ὅπερ ἔδει δεῖξαι — The antecedent of the relative pronoun ὅπερ (neuter singular nominative) is the entire proposition to be proved (that ZH is perfect). The imperfect verb ἔδει expresses necessity, followed by the infinitive δεῖξαι ("to show"). This is the standard formula equivalent to "Q.E.D.".

Cite this passage

Euclid, Elements §9.prop.36#2. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg1799.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:9.prop.36%232

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