Proof: By Euclid
(related to Proposition: Prop. 10.011: Commensurability of Elements of Proportional Magnitudes)
- Let $A$, $B$, $C$, $D$ be four proportional magnitudes, (such that) as $A$ (is) to $B$, so $C$ (is) to $D$.
- And let $A$ be commensurable with $B$.
- I say that $C$ will also be commensurable with $D$.
- For since $A$ is commensurable with $B$, $A$ thus has to $B$ the ratio which (some) number (has) to (some) number [Prop. 10.5].
- And as $A$ is to $B$, so $C$ (is) to $D$.
- Thus, $C$ also has to $D$ the ratio which (some) number (has) to (some) number.
- Thus, $C$ is commensurable with $D$ [Prop. 10.6].
- And so let $A$ be incommensurable with $B$.
- I say that $C$ will also be incommensurable with $D$.
- For since $A$ is incommensurable with $B$, $A$ thus does not have to $B$ the ratio which (some) number (has) to (some) number [Prop. 10.7].
- And as $A$ is to $B$, so $C$ (is) to $D$.
- Thus, $C$ does not have to $D$ the ratio which (some) number (has) to (some) number either.
- Thus, $C$ is incommensurable with $D$ [Prop. 10.8].
- Thus, if four magnitudes, and so on ....
∎
Thank you to the contributors under CC BY-SA 4.0!
- Github:
-
- non-Github:
- @Fitzpatrick
References
Adapted from (subject to copyright, with kind permission)
- Fitzpatrick, Richard: Euclid's "Elements of Geometry"