Book IX, Proposition 22

If as many odd numbers as we please be added together, and their multitude be even, the whole will be even.

Ἐὰν περισσοὶ ἀριθμοὶ ὁποσοιοῦν συντεθῶσιν, τὸ δὲ πλῆθος αὐτῶν ἄρτιον ᾖ, ὁ ὅλος ἄρτιος ἔσται. Συγκείσθωσαν γὰρ περισσοὶ ἀριθμοὶ ὁσοιδηποτοῦν ἄρτιοι τὸ πλῆθος οἱ ΑΒ, ΒΓ, ΓΔ, ΔΕ: λέγω, ὅτι ὅλος ὁ ΑΕ ἄρτιός ἐστιν. Ἐπεὶ γὰρ ἕκαστος τῶν ΑΒ, ΒΓ, ΓΔ, ΔΕ περιττός ἐστιν, ἀφαιρεθείσης μονάδος ἀφ' ἑκάστου ἕκαστος τῶν λοιπῶν ἄρτιος ἔσται: ὥστε καὶ ὁ συγκείμενος ἐξ αὐτῶν ἄρτιος ἔσται. ἔστι δὲ καὶ τὸ πλῆθος τῶν μονάδων ἄρτιον. καὶ ὅλος ἄρα ὁ ΑΕ ἄρτιός ἐστιν: ὅπερ ἔδει δεῖξαι. If as many odd numbers as we please be added together, and their multitude be even, the whole will be even. For let as many odd numbers as we please, AB, BC, CD, DE, even in multitude, be added together; I say that the whole AE is even. For, since each of the numbers AB, BC, CD, DE is odd, if an unit be subtracted from each, each of the remainders will be even; [VII. Def. 7] so that the sum of them will be even. [IX. 21] But the multitude of the units is also even.

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