Book I, Proposition 6

If in a triangle two angles be equal to one another, the sides which subtend the equal angles will also be equal to one another.

Ἐὰν τριγώνου αἱ δύο γωνίαι ἴσαι ἀλλήλαις ὦσιν, καὶ αἱ ὑπὸ τὰς ἴσας γωνίαις ὑποτείνουσαι πλευραὶ ἴσαι ἀλλήλαις ἔσονται. Ἔστω τρίγωνον τὸ ΑΒΓ ἴσην ἔχον τὴν ὑπὸ ΑΒΓ γωνίαν τῇ ὑπὸ ΑΓΒ γωνίᾳ: λέγω, ὅτι καὶ πλευρὰ ἡ ΑΒ πλευρᾷ τῇ ΑΓ ἐστιν ἴση. Εἰ γὰρ ἄνισός ἐστιν ἡ ΑΒ τῇ ΑΓ, ἡ ἑτέρα αὐτῶν μείζων ἐστίν. ἔστω μείζων ἡ ΑΒ, καὶ ἀφῃρήσθω ἀπὸ τῆς μείζονος τῆς ΑΒ τῇ ἐλάττονι τῇ ΑΓ ἴση ἡ ΔΒ, καὶ ἐπεζεύχθω ἡ ΔΓ. Ἐπεὶ οὖν ἴση ἐστὶν ἡ ΔΒ τῇ ΑΓ κοινὴ δὲ ἡ ΒΓ, δύο δὴ αἱ ΔΒ, ΒΓ δύο ταῖς ΑΓ, ΓΒ ἴσαι εἰσὶν ἑκατέρα ἑκατέρᾳ, καὶ γωνία ἡ ὑπὸ ΔΒΓ γωνίᾳ τῇ ὑπὸ ΑΓΒ ἐστιν ἴση: βάσις ἄρα ἡ ΔΓ βάσει τῇ ΑΒ ἴση ἐστίν, καὶ τὸ ΔΒΓ τρίγωνον τῷ ΑΓΒ τριγώνῳ ἴσον ἔσται, τὸ ἔλασσον τῷ μείζονι: ὅπερ ἄτοπον: οὐκ ἄρα ἄνισός ἐστιν ἡ ΑΒ τῇ ΑΓ: ἴση ἄρα. Ἐὰν ἄρα τριγώνου αἱ δύο γωνίαι ἴσαι ἀλλήλαις ὦσιν, καὶ αἱ ὑπὸ τὰς ἴσας γωνίας ὑποτείνουσαι πλευραὶ ἴσαι ἀλλήλαις ἔσονται: ὅπερ ἔδει δεῖξαι. If in a triangle two angles be equal to one another, the sides which subtend the equal angles will also be equal to one another. Let ABC be a triangle having the angle ABC equal to the angle ACB; I say that the side AB is also equal to the side AC. For, if AB is unequal to AC, one of them is greater. Let AB be greater; and from AB the greater let DB be cut off equal to AC the less; let DC be joined. Then, since DB is equal to AC, and BC is common, the two sides DB, BC are equal to the two sides AC, CB respectively; and the angle DBC is equal to the angle ACB; therefore the base DC is equal to the base AB, and the triangle DBC will be equal to the triangle ACB, the less to the greater: which is absurd. Therefore AB is not unequal to AC; it is therefore equal to it. Therefore etc.

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